


Dear Mortal

by ladyofreylo



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Biting, Blood, F/M, First Meeting, HEA, Halloween, Happy Ending, Love Story, Romance, death of a character, dubcon, some violence, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:28:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27232024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofreylo/pseuds/ladyofreylo
Summary: In which...Vampire Kylo Ren seeks out Rey Johnson, writer of vampire fiction, to fall in love--no, to correct inaccuracies in her work.  Falling in love is optional.The story is not very scary, but it does involve scenes of bloodsucking, some violence (daggers and fighting, biting and the like), and one character dies.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 125
Kudos: 179
Collections: 2021 Reylo MonsterLoving Valentines





	1. Dear Mortal

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Depicts the usual vampire feeding, blood, and death. All the good vampire stuff.
> 
> Thanks to FlavorofKylo for being a great alpha reader and giving me such good ideas and background on vamps. Also thanks to Mel and Alison for early reads and many good suggestions and figuring out that I had Rey standing up twice in the same scene. It takes a village to write a vamp fic.

_ Dear Mortal: _

Kylo looked up from his screen, fingers poised over the keys.

Delete six times.

He knew he couldn’t call her that.

He started again.

_ Dear Ms. Johnson: _

_ I have enjoyed… _

Maybe “enjoy'' was too strong.

_ I have been fascinated with your novel,  _ A Day in the Life of a Gentleman Vampire _. Nothing brings me greater pleasure than reading about the Undead. _

He hesitated again. Should he really capitalize the Undead? It was traditional, but he was writing an email for heaven's sake, not a missive with quill and parchment.

_ However, I must say that there are a few errors in the work that have come to my attention. I shall append a list here for your consideration. Please do not take this as a destructive kind of critique. It is meant as a gift. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren _

krenKOR_1@ gmail.com

<>

Kylo hit send. He stared at the webpage that hosted Rey Johnson’s public profile, list of works, and other information. She was lovely--with a huge smile and hazel eyes that crinkled at the corners.

But that’s not what this was about. It was about being accurate. Kylo was, after all, a vampire himself, though few knew it. He was easily able to pass in real life because of his age and strength. The old ones could pass as mortals.

And as much as he didn’t want to, how did they say it these days, “out” himself to a pretty, mortal author, he couldn’t let some of these blatant falsehoods stand.

<>

Kylo’s email dinged.

He looked. reyjohnsonwriter@ gmail.com

_ Dear Mr. (or Sir?) Ren: _

_ Thank you so much for your kind words about my novel. It’s gratifying to hear from readers and listen to their opinions. _

_ I appreciate the list you attached as well. _

_ I hesitate to question you because all comments are appreciated. But, sir, I have to say that this is a piece of fiction with mythical characters. I don’t think it’s possible to say something is inaccurate, when I created the setting and characters. Granted, I haven’t stuck closely to supposed vampire lore, but that is all fictional as well. _

_ With all due respect, I’m not sure what your issue is. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Rey Johnson _

<>

Kylo sat back in his chair. She was feisty. He liked that. A shot of hunger zinged up his spine.

No. He couldn’t use her as a meal.

His penis twitched.

He tamped that feeling down, too.

He gritted his teeth. Self-discipline, he thought. It was the primary way he had survived. By not taking foolish risks, by not being too bound to his own needs. He had been used to privation all his life--and in his death, too.

But somehow his fingers drifted over the keyboard again.

_ Dear Ms. Johnson: _

_ Strange as it may seem, I did enjoy your novel. I’m not attempting to disparage the world and characters you created. _

_ I understand how fiction works. I read Daniel DeFoe’s novel when he invented the form in English. Clearly, there was no real Robinson Crusoe. However, DeFoe had to use the laws of nature in his depiction of the remote island Mr. Crusoe was cast upon. He was not writing science fiction. _

_ Still, if you plan further adventures of Mr. Wellesley, Vampire esquire, it’s important to reach for verisimilitude. At least in my humble opinion. _

_ Or perhaps you’d like to take one simple correction under consideration: Vampires can go outside during the day. Unless you need it as a plot device, being allergic to sunlight is not a thing, as they say. _

_ Food for thought. _

_ Yours, _

_ Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren _

_ (“Sir” is technically accurate but you can call me Kylo in this day and age.) _

<>

Kylo didn’t hear back from the fetching Ms. Johnson that evening, so he went out to dinner on his own. He met his usual food source and friend--of a sort--Poe at his residence.

When Poe asked him how his day had been, Kylo told him a little about his interaction. Poe shook his head.

“Kylo, you shouldn’t do that. You’re bringing in another mortal and you know that’s going to be a bad idea. You’re not allowed to tell too many of us about the vamps walking among us.”

Kylo looked down his nose. “I realize that, Poe. I’m not stupid. However, she has it all wrong.”

Poe rolled his eyes and sipped from a glass of wine. “They all do. Why this one? Inaccuracies abound in all works.”

“And that abominable Halloween holiday,” Kylo said. “Good God.”

“Well, that’s how they do it. Keep all the bogies and monsters away.”

Kylo smiled into his own glass of blood red cabernet. “If they only knew.”

Poe shrugged. “Human monsters tend to be much worse than the likes of your kind.”

“I can be a lot more dangerous than you know,” Kylo said. “I just don’t show it to you.”

The silence fell between them. Kylo did see Poe give a small shiver at the thought.

“What are you really doing?” Poe asked softly. “What’s the purpose of bothering the mortal woman?”

Kylo sighed. He stared off into space. “I’m not really sure.”

Poe looked him in the eye. “You’re looking for a mate.”

“Perhaps.”

Poe leaned forward. “Am I nothing, old friend? You could turn me and I would stay with you.”

Kylo reached out and took Poe’s hand. “You’re more valuable alive and mortal. I appreciate you more than you know.”

Poe drew his hand back. “I can’t be your mate because I’m your food.”

Kylo smiled into his glass. “Indeed.”

“You would like to turn this moral woman to show her what vampires are really like?”

Kylo shook his head. “Not necessarily. I am simply enjoying her fiction, inaccurate though it is.”

Poe narrowed his eyes at his friend. Kylo gazed back, unfazed.

“I’ve never known you to lie to yourself, Kylo Ren. Don’t start doing it now.”

<>

That was unsettling. Poe was entirely too smart. But that was why Kylo fed from him. He needed someone to be a partner so he didn’t have to hunt. He needed someone smart and willing to feed him without a lot of fanfare. It was always how he’d played it.

Kylo chose carefully. He revealed his secret slowly. He discussed the matter with his person of choice and hoped for the best. He didn’t like to kill them if they said no and he was usually able to get away with misdirection and hypnosis, so the person had little memory of the occurrence.

He was not looking for a mate, a partner, or a new food source, though Poe had his annoying moments.

He was simply correcting inaccuracies in a work of fiction.


	2. One Odd Cookie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sir Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren, begins to invade Rey Johnson's dreams.

Rey Johnson stared at the screen when the next email popped up. She would have to start having her account vetted. This was ridiculous.

Sir Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren, was one odd cookie.

She looked him up on the internet and found literally nothing. Usually, she could find something about people, even if she had to pay for it. But this guy didn’t show up at all.

She dialed her friend, Gwen, who had her own private security company.

“Hey, can you find out something about one of my readers?” she asked.

“Sure,” Gwen said. “Name and email.”

Rey repeated the information. She heard Gwen typing.

“You want to hang on?” Gwen asked.

“Sure,” Rey said.

She heard Gwen clicking her tongue as she searched. “Well, the email checks out. It’s a real account. It’s been a real account for quite some time. Here’s a phone number associated with the name. And an address. But it’s all been locked down for privacy. I’m not technically supposed to give it to you. Do you need a restraining order?”

“No, he just started emailing me about inaccuracies in my novel.”

“Creepy shit?” Gwen asked.

“Maybe,” Rey said. “He’s talking about vampires.”

“Oh,” Gwen said. “Oh, okay. One of those.”

“Those what?”

“Well, occasionally we get a live one who thinks those guys are real. Come in babbling, wanting protection. I guess there are bizarros who think that they are vampires and try to bite people. I’ve heard of that before, but it’s just a kind of delusion happening inside their heads.”

Rey sat back. “So dude could be delusional?”

Gwen sighed. “Yeah. Keep your distance. Though, honestly, most of the people I’ve heard about are just hyper about Halloween and enjoy cosplaying. He could be one of those types. A fan of some vamp story or show and all about it. Your narrative doesn’t fit the movie and he’s all twisted up. Tell him to write his own damn book.”

Rey laughed. Gwen always managed to make her feel better.

“No, wait. Don’t do that. Disengage.”

That was a better idea.

Unfortunately, Rey couldn’t help herself.

It was like the emails were… humming at her, somehow. She thought about them at different times during the day. The pull to answer was strong. She had to re-read them suddenly. She stopped writing and clicked over to her email.

And read them again. She felt better when she opened a window to reply. Like it was the release of something she’d kept bottled up.

<>

_ Dear Sir Kylo: _

_ I wasn’t planning to write a follow-up to my current novel,  _ A Day in the Life of a Gentleman Vampire _. Therefore, while your list of suggestions are interesting, they will sadly go unused. _

_ Please feel free to write your own novel, if you wish. I would highly recommend it as an enjoyable pastime. _

_ Yours in fiction, _

_ Rey Johnson _

<>

Rey felt much better when she hit send.

She felt less good when she received a reply not more than five minutes later.

It read:  _ If I did, would you read it? _

Without much thought, Rey found herself typing a simple answer:  _ Yes. I would check it for inaccuracies. _

Another email appeared with an attachment:  _ My Vampire Life. _

Ah, Rey thought, that’s what he wanted all along. A would-be fiction writer looking for an audience. She shut the lid of her laptop, shaking her head.

<>

She met Gwen and her other friend Rose for drinks and dinner later at The Old Tavern, the place they frequently met.

It was fairly crowded, but the women found a booth in a quiet corner and ordered their favorite drink, The Screaming Orgasm.

Rey brought Rose and Gwen up to speed about her mysterious emailer.

“So that’s all it was,” she said, taking a big sip of her drink.

“Delete,” Gwen said.

“No, you should read it. Did you read it?” Rose wanted to know.

“I don’t have time to read every wanna-be’s draft,” Rey said. Then she heard herself say, “I’ll probably take a quick look at it when I get home.” She frowned. She wasn’t planning to do that at all.

But it felt right to say it and she suddenly wanted to read it.

“Well, on my end, I found nothing. The Knights of Ren are not listed in my directories of clubs, groups, or organizations.”

“Knights of Ren?” Rose asked. “Aww, Hux knows them. They’re super secret. I have no idea what they do, though. He said he couldn’t tell me and I bugged him about it for a minute, but then I totally forgot about them.”

Gwen and Rey looked at each other. “So they exist?”

“Yep,” Rose said. “I believe they do. I can ask. Hang on.” She called her husband. “Who are the Knights of Ren, babe?” She paused. “Rey has met one. Some guy who emailed her.” She paused again and her eyes stared off into space. “No, I’m going to finish my orgasm. Then I’ll be back.” She giggled and hung up.

“Well?” Gwen demanded.

“Hm?” Rose said.

“Knights of Ren,” Rey prompted.

“Oh, right. Yeah, they exist for sure.” Rose sucked on her straw. “Look, I have to go soon. Hux needs me to help him with something real quick. Next week, ladies.” She got up and threw a couple of dollars on the table.

“That was interesting,” Gwen said. “I found nothing about them.”

“I can ask when I talk to him about his story,” Rey said.

Gwen stared at her. “Don’t do that. Don’t fucking read that man’s story and give him free comments. Next he’ll be trying to get your phone number. There are crazy people…” Gwen looked up and stopped talking.

A tall man, dressed in a black, well-tailored suit, strolled by the table. Gwen’s mouth hung open. Rey turned to get a better look at the gentleman in question.

He had his back to her for a moment. Then he turned and looked right at Rey. He was jaw-droppingly handsome with wavy black hair that fell over his ears, a dark mustache and goatee, full, ripe lips, and amber eyes. Amber eyes, her brain whispered. Brown but amber like whiskey in a thick glass.

She really couldn’t look away from him. Gwen seemed similarly stuck.

He smiled a little, like he knew her. Rey suddenly needed to dig her hands into his thick hair and roll her head back. She wanted him to nuzzle her ear and nip at her neck, just the space where her neck and shoulder met. She would have a screaming orgasm, she thought.

His smile widened, like he knew what she was thinking. Then he turned and walked away with a long-legged stride.

Rey excused herself from the table. She needed to get home and read. And comment on the fiction she’d been sent.

<>

It began:  _ I cannot fully tell my story for I live in the shadows. I am unrevealed. I will not tell you why.  _

_ It is inaccurate to assume that I am fully dead or fully alive. I am neither. I can go into the sunlight. I can see myself in a mirror and eat garlic, though sometimes it disagrees with me, as does a lot of food. I have no problem with crosses or bullets of silver. And I don’t own a coffin. _

_ But you know this list of inaccuracies already. _

_ I am writing my own story for you. Invite me to write the next chapter and share it with you. _

<>

It ended there. Rey stared at the screen for a long time.

She shouldn’t respond. She steeled herself against the overwhelming desire to cross that boundary and beg him to continue. She shut her computer down and went into her bedroom. She prepared for bed without even realizing it and lay down in a daze, her mind spinning with the odd paragraphs she’d read.

_ Invite me. _ She had no idea what that meant.

It whispered like a soft melody in her head.  _ Invite me and I will share with you. _

Rey slept fitfully. She dreamed of amber eyes and the slight smile on the stranger’s lips. She twisted in her sleep, rewriting her own novel in her head, changing the ideas away from the vampires she invented. The new novel starred a tall man with black hair. He smiled at her full-on with dimples showing and a soft, healing sensation flooded her body, almost like completion, almost like an…

Rey sat up in bed. Had she come in her sleep? She felt between her legs and found herself wet. She ran to the bathroom to see if it was her period coming early. It wasn’t. Just good old-fashioned slick from being turned on.

The laptop dinged. Rey thought for sure she’d turned the damn thing off. She went into the living room and opened the computer.

A message from Gwen.

It was an article from a historical journal about the Knights of Ren.

Rey read eagerly. 

_ The Knights of Ren were a group of warriors from the time of William the Conqueror who trained and fought by William’s side, yet sought knowledge of many kinds. One knight, Sir Benjamin de Kysolou, was an alchemist as well as a gifted warrior. He attempted to find the elixir of life through various means. His compatriot Sir Hugh Lex Armitage disapproved of Kysolou and accused him of witchcraft, though nothing ever came of the accusations. Armitage tried to destroy Kysolou and his work time and again, with varying degrees of success. Kysolou remained unharmed but his experiments were disrupted. _

_ The Knights were scattered or destroyed at the time of William’s death and the wars that followed. _

Rey sat back in her chair. She had no idea how in the world this man on the other end of the emails could call himself a Knight of Ren. He must be a student of history with a well-developed taste for cosplay. He was a Knight of Ren and a vampire, supposedly. She yawned and stretched. He was clearly crazy.

There was no such thing as vampires.

Rey looked at the emails that had come in while she’d been asleep. Nothing interesting, just a bunch of spam.

She clicked on the one from Kylo Ren again. She decided to reply.

_ Sir Kylo: _

She felt completely absurd now that she knew he was a cosplayer. Why was she calling him “sir” like an idiot?

She backspaced three letters.

_ Dear Kylo: _

_ I read your story so far and it’s a good start. I’d like to read more. Please send the next chapter and we can talk about it. _

Rey stared at the screen. No, that wasn’t what she wanted to write. She deleted the last two sentences.

_ I’d like to have you bring me the next piece in person. I would love to talk about it. _

That’s better, she thought. She typed in her address and phone number.

_ Please come over when you are available. Oh, and please remember, sir, vampires aren’t real. _

She added a smiley face, hit send, and wandered back to bed. When she lay back down, she smiled to herself and felt so good about her decision.

The amber eyes in that handsome man’s face drifted through her consciousness. She arched her back as she was flooded with euphoria.

And then she gasped his name as the pulsing contractions hit her.

Kylo.


	3. The Nudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our gentleman vampire, one Kylo Ren, has some tricks up his sleeve. Let's see if Rey appreciates them--or not.

Kylo woke the next morning feeling good, better than usual. He dressed with care, pulling on black skinny jeans and a red pullover. He would visit Rey Johnson today and talk fiction with her. And other things.

Perhaps she would be more comfortable in public. He picked up his phone and sent a text.

_Good morning, Miss Rey. Coffee at Grady’s on 9th Street? 10 am. Yours, K._

He received an answer almost immediately. As if she’d been waiting for him to contact her. He permitted himself a small smile.

Kylo didn’t always like to use the gift he’d gotten when he’d changed. In some instances, he could persuade with logic and reason. In others, outright intimidation worked fine. But for some situations, the nudge, as he called it, helped immensely.

There were a few rules, he discovered, when the nudge first began to work for him. Often, to induce a connection, he had to be in the same room for a while. Even lurking in a corner of a room could help him cement a connection with someone.

Then he could use the nudge to help him make further contact. Usually, he’d used it to feed, if he had no stable source. He established a connection, nudged the mortal, and asked for an invitation. He flooded them with happy endorphins to seal the deal.

If Kylo did it right, his mortals continued to seek that connection with him. Kylo’s friend--if that was what Hux was--used a baser version, having refused to hone the skill. Kylo wrinkled his nose. Hux was clumsy and used what could only be called mind control.

It lacked finesse. It was downright ungentlemanly.

Kylo preferred to be nice to mortals, though his aura and mien were dark. He didn’t have much respect for ham-fisted vampires, who took mortal wives and made them into puppets.

Kylo walked to Grady’s, stretching his long legs and enjoying the outdoors. He minded none of the weather, feeling neither hot nor cold. He had no temperature to regulate, though he felt warm to the touch. Or he thought he did, anyway.

He walked in and saw her in the back, hunched over her phone, reading something furiously. He ordered his coffee and walked back to the table.

He nudged her lightly, willing her to look up. She did and her eyes widened with surprise.

“Hello,” he murmured, pulling out a chair and lowering himself into it. As usual, it was too small for him. “You remember me?”

Rey stared at him. “You were at the restaurant.”

He nodded. “I was.”

“You saw me,” Rey said, faintly.

“Yes,” Kylo agreed.

“Why didn’t you…” She trailed off and swallowed.

He smiled at her, trying not to show all his teeth. No need for that. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

She smiled her lovely smile. “You wouldn’t be bothering me. I would enjoy…” She stopped and narrowed her eyes at him. “Who are you? I really don’t know anything about you.”

He tried to lightly soothe her. She frowned.

“I’m just here to talk a little fiction,” he said slowly as if talking to a creature about to bolt. “I want your opinion. You told me to write my own story, if I didn’t care for your representation of…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. That word would be too much and his eyes might signal the truth.

Rey bristled. “You’re mistaken, Mr… I mean, Sir. There can’t be inaccuracies in my work because vampires don’t exist.”

Kylo narrowly avoided blanching at the word.

He gazed at her. “Still, there are better and worse representations of those kinds of characters.”

“And you think mine is bad?” Rey bit the words off.

“No, no. Not bad, per se,” Kylo said. He wanted to say “misinformed,” but realized that might sound strange to her.

“Then, you must give me my interpretation of a mythical monster.”

He did blanch at that word. “Monster?”

“Yes.” She stared at him. “Although my character is a gentleman, he is at base a bloodsucking killer, who preys on innocent people.”

Kylo sipped his coffee. It tasted odd to him, as most mortal food did, but he liked to keep up appearances. “‘Killer’ is such a harsh word.”

“Look, if you keep writing your book, you can make your main character into a peachy guy, for all I care. That’s fine. But in my book, he’s a killer.”

Kylo let that word hang in the air. “Then why don’t you give him his just desserts at the end of the book? Why the ambiguous ending?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “I might want to do a sequel.”

Kylo smiled. He had to admit he enjoyed her snarky attitude. She was holding him off quite well with eyebrow raises and annoyance.

Rey was nervous. Kylo made most mortals nervous, though they didn’t always know why. Like a gazelle scenting a lion.

She stood suddenly. “Mr… I mean, Sir…”

“Kylo is fine,” he said oh-so-gently. He rose as well.

“Kylo.” She took a breath, looking up at him. “It was nice meeting you, but I need to go. I have to get to work.”

Kylo tried to make himself a bit smaller by hunching. The gesture often made mortals more comfortable. “All right,” he said. “If you’ve started the sequel, I’d be glad to help you with it.”

Rey stared at him. He looked directly into her wide eyes. “Yes, I’d love that,” she said softly. She shook herself. “No, that’s not good.”

“Why not?”

She pressed her soft lips together. Kylo thought about kissing her, biting her, making her his. Rey’s gaze flew to his as if she’d heard his thoughts.

He pulled the energy back.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t.”

“I’m actually a nice guy,” he said. And he was. Usually.

She blinked. “I believe you are, even though I don’t know you.”

Kylo took Rey’s hand and held it up to his lips. He brushed his mustache against the back of her warm, soft hand. Her scent was intoxicating to him. The blood would be rich, sweet, thick like honey.

She lifted her other hand and touched his face. He kissed her palm.

“You are beautiful,” she whispered, almost to herself.

He leaned down to look into her hazel green eyes. “As are you, my love.”

<>

Rey walked out of the coffee shop in a daze. She had a hazy memory of getting to the library where she worked. She dropped her stuff in the back room, said hi to her co-workers, and went to sit at the information desk. It was quiet in the library. Only a few seniors came in that early in the morning. She sat staring off into space and saw amber eyes, hot with some unnamed emotion.

The man from the restaurant was Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren, whatever that meant to him. The man from the restaurant casually walked up to her with a coffee cup in his hand and a blood red waffle knit shirt over a muscular chest. He was tall, thick in all the right places, and incredibly handsome. He looked like no other man she’d ever met. A Greek statue come to life.

The way he talked, the way he watched her, made her feel special, precious, as if she were a fine jewel that he would protect with his life.

Rey had no idea where any of those ideas came from. Normally, she laughed off male attention and selected her lovers with great care. Most of them had been good friends who wanted a bit more. And she’d let the relationship drift into intimate waters.

But she’d never felt a burning desire to be with any of them.

Not like this.

She felt like she could melt into this man and allow him to do anything he wanted. And yet she knew so little about him.

His eyes begged her to trust him. His lips seemed to smile only for her. She found herself enjoying the spark, enjoying the silly argument they had going. And she wanted to interact further. It scared her how much she wanted to see him again.

Rey gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her job. She shut the intruding thoughts out--with great effort of will. In fact, she gripped the table and rolled her chair back to distract herself.

The thoughts crept back in, drifting languidly into a daydream. She recalled his slow smile, his warm eyes, the feel of his soft lips. My love, he’d called her. She shivered and yet again tried to focus on her job. She was supposed to be processing magazines for the new magazine rack on the wall next to the reference desk. She grabbed a pile of the slick, glossy publications and a pile of protective covers with older copies in them. She flopped them on her desk with a little more force than strictly necessary.

A couple of patrons looked up. Rey smiled at them weakly.

 _Open the cover, Rey. Unhook the metal bar. Pull out the magazine…_ Shit, she was muttering to herself. She literally had to coach herself to focus on each step of what would ordinarily be a routine job. 

Her feet tapped against the carpet.

It was against library policy for employees to have their phones out on desk. Rey itched to break it. She could leave the desk for a few minutes and sneak into the back room. She clenched her fists and contented herself with composing text messages inviting Kylo to dinner. She’d said no and wished she’d said yes.

After work, Rey forced herself to stop by her favorite soup and salad place to buy herself dinner. Her hand drifted to her phone occasionally, but she resisted the urge to look at it.

She breathed through the overwhelming desire and gritted her teeth.

What was wrong with her?

She sent a giant, screaming, silent “NO” out into the universe. The desire subsided.

Gentle amusement flooded her. She laughed a little for no reason.

And then she knew, for some reason, she knew. _He_ was doing it. Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren.

Rey sat for a minute, pondering that idea. It was ridiculous to think that some individual she’d just met was pressuring her in some way. In her mind.

She heard his laugh, though she knew he hadn’t laughed at the coffee shop.

And that was when she got mad.

Rey snatched her phone out of her purse, plopped herself on a chair in her kitchen, and dialed Kylo Ren’s number.

She didn’t remember saving it in her phone, but there it was.

He answered on the second ring. He sounded delighted to hear from her.

She was less delighted. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re playing at. But you need to stop it.”

Kylo’s voice dripped with innocence. “Rey, what am I doing?”

“No idea. But you can knock it the fuck off before I call the police.”

“All right,” he said. “Will do.”

She closed her mouth and waited.

He said nothing.

She groaned. “I sound like a crazy person. I’m sorry. You didn’t do anything. I’m just…”

“It’s all right, Rey. I’m so glad you called me. I hoped you might change your mind about getting together. Invite me over sometime. I will be there.”

Rey rubbed her eyes. “Who are you?”

“We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said, voice deep as night.

<>

Poe shook his head, as Kylo clicked off the call. “All right, now you’ve done it. You’ll have to tell her.”

Kylo stood and stretched. “I won’t feed from you tomorrow night. At least I hope not.”

Poe looked up at him. “Come by if it doesn’t work out. Or not. Maybe she’ll put a fucking stake in your heart.”

“That’s a rumor. It doesn’t work.”

“How do you kill a vampire?” Poe asked. “Just out of curiosity.”

Kylo laughed out loud. “I can’t tell you that. You might want to off me one day.”

“Is it impossible?” Poe’s eyes grew serious. “I don’t want to off you, Kylo. Never. I want to protect you instead.”

Kylo sighed. He leaned down to touch his friend’s face gently. “I know that. It’s not impossible. But it’s quite difficult, so let’s not ponder it too much.”

He walked home, head full of possibilities surrounding the lovely Miss Rey. She fought him well. She was strong and beautiful, full of energy and life. And she was attracted to him, without a nudge. She wanted him. He nudged her to act upon it and then, much to his overwhelming delight, she fought him. He hadn’t been so excited in years. Maybe never.

He almost couldn’t wait until tomorrow. The self-discipline that had served him so well was eroding in the face of this… whatever it was.

Someone skittered around in the shadows by a dumpster. Kylo turned his head to see an old man with red-rimmed eyes half out of his mind. He looked at Kylo for a moment.

Kylo felt his senses light up.

The man sniffed and shuffled.

Kylo spoke to him. “Old gent, what’s your story?”

The man stared. “I don’t remember. Give me money. I need it.”

“For what?” Kylo asked, already knowing.

The man coughed. He was unwell. He wouldn’t last much longer.

“You need food, sir, and rest,” Kylo said, approaching him slowly. “May I help you?”

“No,” the man said, shuffling out of the way. “No. I’m fine.”

Kylo stood watching him for a while. He left the man sniffing in the alley and walked to a nearby restaurant. He brought food back to the spot where he had seen the old man. 

He nudged him and the man sat with Kylo and ate. He told Kylo his life story and smiled for a time. Then the shakes began to get worse as the need for his drug of choice began to get the best of him.

“Rest now,” Kylo said.

He knew the man never saw Kylo move. He knew that his reflexes were beyond human sight. He knew the man felt nothing but pleasure at the end, a warm, full stomach, a nice chat with a kind friend, and then peace.


	4. In Time For Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey feeds her vampire.  
> TW: bloodsucking

When Rey opened the door and saw Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren, standing in her doorway, she could believe that he was indeed a knight. He stood tall and broad, with large hands hanging by his side, a warm smile on his lips. She had forgotten how big he was.

He walked into her apartment and her breath hitched. He was magnificent in every way, shining somehow, glowing with a radiant pulse, and he was standing there.

“So glad to see you,” she whispered and then cleared her throat. “You’re in time for dinner.”

“Good,” he said.

Kylo opened a bottle of wine and poured glasses for both of them. He sat at Rey’s table with his long legs bumping hers underneath. He ate little, drank less, and listened to Rey’s somewhat nervous chatter about writing.

When the meal was finished, Kylo helped Rey clean up, though she told him not to bother. He stood nearby while she dipped her hands in the warm, soapy water to wash the few dishes. Her breath caught when he moved her hair to one side and stroked the back of her neck.

She felt his hair tickle her when he leaned in. His mustache and short, soft beard brushed her neck. She lifted her hands out of the water, but he reached around her and pushed them back in.

“Stay there, my love,” he whispered and nuzzled the back of her neck again.

She didn’t recognize the sound she made when he licked her neck. Her body flooded with hot desire and she felt her panties dampen.

He licked around one side and nibbled lightly. “Invite me in, Rey. You know who I am.”

“I don’t,” Rey panted. She’d never felt so alive as when his teeth grazed her.

“If you think about it, you will.”

“No,” she said. “I don’t want to.”

“Turn around,” he said. “Feed me.”

Rey lifted her hands out of the water, turned and pushed them into his hair. She looked into his eyes, bright and burning. His mouth was redder than she’d seen it before, fuller, swollen, as if she’d been kissing him.

He dipped his head and caught her lips with his, as if he’d read her mind, which she was almost convinced he had. His tongue slipped between her lips and she made a strangled noise as he ravaged her mouth.

He was delicious.

His hands slid down her body and cupped her bottom. He pressed her up tightly to him and she felt his erection. It was more than food, she thought. She was more than food to him somehow. She didn’t understand what that meant. Why was she thinking about food? About blood? About life everlasting?

“Invite me,” he growled, raising his head to stare at her. His topaz eyes glowed with an inner light, a spark of brilliance, a kind of luminescent radiance she’d seen when she had opened her door.

“What are you?” she whispered.

His gaze never wavered. “You already know.”

“Say it, Kylo,” she said. “Tell me outright. And stop the mind games.”

He laughed suddenly. “Yes, ma’am. You will come to like them in time.”

“Doubt it.” Rey pressed her lips together and put her hands on her hips. “Tell me.”

“I’m exactly what you think I am,” he murmured, stepping closer, crowding her back against the sink. “Invite me to be yours and you can be mine.”

Rey took a step sideways. She breathed through Kylo’s persuasive tactics. “You’re a v…”

He covered her mouth with his hand. “It’s such an ugly word. Let’s say I’m an Immortal. Doesn’t that sound better?”

She shook him off. “You’re a creature? A monster? A bloodsucker?”

Kylo shivered and closed his eyes. “So harsh, my love.”

“Show them to me,” Rey demanded.

He touched her neck with his big hand. Then he smiled, full on, and his pointed incisors came into view.

Rey put her finger in his mouth while he stared at her with hungry desire. She touched his tooth. It cut her with its sharp edge.

Kylo moaned and suckled on Rey’s finger, hard and needy.

He stopped and groaned. “So hungry, my love. Feed me. Invite me.”

She felt the nudge in her mind.

“Stop that,” she snapped. She yanked hand free and was surprised that he let her go willingly. She felt his insatiable hunger for her. He showed her how he felt, breathing raggedly, staring at her neck, her hand, her body.

“Whatever you are and whatever that...whatever it is that you do to me. You have to fucking knock it off.”

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I call it a nudge.”

She stared at him. “You admit it?”

He looked incredulous. “Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I? You already know about me. I may as well tell you.”

Rey stepped around the big man in front of her. She drifted to her couch in a daze and sat, mouth agape. “You admit it,” she repeated.

Kylo sat next to her and tried to take her hand. Rey ripped it away.

He sighed and dropped his hand to his thigh. “I already said yes.”

“You sent me an email detailing the inaccuracies about vampires in my novel.” Rey ticked off the statement with her finger. She felt the cut sting and stared at it.

Kylo’s eyes were on her finger, too. He licked his lips. Rey saw his eyes flare brighter.

“Yes,” he said, a deep rumble in his chest. “Rey, my love…”

She ignored him. “You nudged into meeting you.” She ticked off that statement, too.

He nodded. The urge to nudge her again rose in him.

Rey felt it. She pressed her lips together. “Don’t you dare,” she warned.

“I’m hungry,” he said.

“Tough shit,” Rey said. “The list you sent. That’s about you, then?”

Kylo nodded slowly. “And the story.”

“My friend Gwen says there’s no such thing as vampires. Only people who are deluded into thinking they are. She works security and has met some seriously weird people.”

He sighed. “Then I’ve been deluded for a very long time.”

“How long?”

“An eternity.” Kylo smoothed his beard. “Forever.”

Rey crossed her arms over her breasts. “Give me a straight answer.”

“I was born in 1046 in Normandy. My Before Name was Benjamin de Kysolou. I changed it to Kylo, four letters from my last name. I took the surname Ren to honor the Knights, of which I was one.”

Rey’s mouth dropped open. She stared at the man in front of her. “I read the story. You think you’re the alchemist who cheated death?”

“Yes,” he said, patiently. “Rey, I don’t just think it. I _am_ the alchemist who cheated death, but it wasn’t really my doing. I never found the key to immortality on my own. A very old Immortal helped by turning me one night. She told me she would give me life everlasting, and I took it. I wanted it.”

Rey swallowed. For some reason, she began to think he was telling her the truth. “Are there more of you?”

Kylo hesitated. “There are. But we are a solitary group and don’t interact much with one another.” He paused. “Rey, my love, if you don’t feed me, I must leave and return to one who will.”

She hesitated. It was all too new, too weird. And, yet, she had known it all along. As soon as he… They were connected somehow. She knew it. She felt it and she felt his gnawing hunger. It was for her, about her, a deep desire to bond with her.

“I’m just food,” she spat. She knew that was wrong but she had to say it. She jumped up from the couch, turned her back on him and hugged herself.

“No,” he said.

She stood with eyes closed, swaying a bit on her feet. The bond she felt with him suffused with sorrow, longing, and sweetness.

She felt him behind her, a presence, big hands on her arms. He turned her around and enfolded her. She rested her head on his shoulder, as if she could ever do anything else.

His lips brushed her temple. “You’re for me, Rey Johnson. I know it. You do, too.”

“You made me for you. You chose me.”

“Yes,” he said. “But that doesn’t make it less real.”

“Why?” Rey looked up at him.

Kylo hesitated. “You reached out to me first in your novel. I am your gentleman…”

Rey covered his mouth with her fingers before he said it. He groaned at feeling the fresh cut against his lips.

He opened his mouth and sucked her finger back in, lapping at it, seeking to open it again.

“So hungry,” he moaned.

“Will it hurt?” Rey asked in the softest of whispers.

“No, no. It is delicious for us both. I cloud your mind against any pain. Let me….” He swallowed hard. “Let me show you. Invite me in.”

“Kylo,” Rey said. She tipped her head back. “Please.”

He nudged her. She looked up. “Don’t nudge. Don’t cloud me. Let me feel it for real.”

Kylo gazed at her. 

Rey was determined. “I need it to be real. Hurt me if you must.”

“No, I will not,” he said and swept her up in his arms.

He carried her like a bride to the bed and laid her out. Slowly, he stripped her of her clothes and his.

Rey shivered in his arms, naked to Kylo, to her desire for him, to her newfound knowledge of him. “Don’t cloud my mind, please,” she whispered. She looked at him. “Please. I want to feel everything with you.”

He gave a single nod.

They lay together, bodies pressed. Kylo felt warm, though he probably shouldn’t have. His skin felt alive, he was no different than any other man. Rey slipped her hands down his muscled body and brushed his hard cock. He moaned when she wrapped her hand around it.

He stroked her body with his big hands and slipped his fingers between her legs to gather her wetness. One finger circled her clit and she jumped a little at the pleasure. She closed herself firmly to his nudging, though she felt that it wasn’t him trying to make her think or do something. It was him seeking further connection with her to find sweet spots and best ways to please her.

He whispered against her hair. “I would lick your sweetness down there but I’m so hungry. My control might slip and I want to pleasure you before feeding.”

Rey looked into his eyes. “Would you bite down there?”

“I could, I know the places to find the richest…” He swallowed. “Blood.”

“Would you let me come first?”

He sucked in a breath. “Yes.”

Rey gazed into his eyes. “Do it. Feed wherever you like.”

He needed no other invitation. He was on her so swiftly that she didn’t see him move. His lips were between her legs. The sounds he made as he ate her out were ones of deep pleasure. His tongue lapped and twirled on her swollen clit. He sucked her lips into his mouth. He licked further down and buried his nose in her wetness. Rey clawed at the bed and raised her hips.

Kylo lifted her up under her bottom and opened her legs further for more access.

Then he sucked her clit into his mouth and teased it until she came, long and hard, crying his name over and over.

 _Invite me_ , he whispered into her mind when she came down and lay slowly drifting in a haze of pleasure. He had crawled up next to her and was tracing her lips with a finger. 

“So hungry for you,” he breathed.

“Yes,” Rey whispered. “How?”

Kylo placed a finger on Rey’s chin and turned her head. He lay on top of her and she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.

“I should cloud you,” he said, with worried amber eyes. They glowed slightly, a spark of red came and went. His lips were also darker red and he licked them, pressing them together slightly.

Rey felt the surging hunger within him rising higher.

“No.” Rey shook her head. “Just do it.”

Without warning, faster than Rey thought possible, Kylo sank his fangs into her neck. Rey cried out and grabbed his head with both hands.

Though it hurt when he bit her, the pain felt warm and sweet. He sucked the holes he made and lapped up the welling fluid. She stroked his hair, listening to his mewling sounds of fulfillment. He had been very hungry and she was feeding him. His hands held her down so gently while he reflexively kneaded her arm.

Rey felt Kylo fill himself and she knew when he was sated. He licked his lips and looked into her face.

“Sweet, sweet girl,” he said, smiling at her. “Rest with me.”

He tucked her up next to him. She felt so very warm and relaxed.

Her mind clouded against the stinging in her neck. She fell asleep.


	5. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe introduces himself to Rey. Kylo is un-pleased.

Kylo hugged the sleeping woman next to him. It had been heaven. It had been beyond his wildest dreams. He hadn’t felt this good in years.

Though he loved and appreciated Poe for being his provider, it wasn’t sexual and it wasn’t anything like the connection he felt with this lovely woman beside him.

With Rey, Kylo was utterly fulfilled, even though he hadn’t yet had an orgasm with her. Her blinding orgasm had been just as good. Kylo smiled at the memory. He had felt it on his tongue, around his fingers, and, most of all, in his mind. The connection between them grew stronger, even though she didn’t let him take her mind fully.

If she ever did allow him to give her pleasure that way, too, she would never leave him. And he would never leave her.

She invited him. She called to him. He was hers. He had no idea whether she would allow him to turn her, as his Maker Selene had turned him. Did he want that for her?

An hour passed.

Kylo woke his lover by teasing her with his tongue and watching her arch her back at his wicked kitten licks. She woke up and parted her legs further for him, moaning and clawing at his hair.

He held her open with his thumbs and ate her hungrily. He didn’t bite her, just tormented her delicious cunt with his mouth. She came again when he worked two fingers inside her.

Kylo crawled up Rey’s pliant body and looked into her sleepy hazel eyes. “My love,” he whispered. “You are my love.”

He stroked his cock for a moment and lined it up with her wetness. “I want to be inside you. Invite me in,” he said.

“Kylo, fuck me. Hard,” Rey gasped.

He pushed inside with one smooth, hard stroke. Rey arched her back again and cried out in pleasure.

Kylo watched her as he pumped in and out slowly, feeling his own desire rise. He didn’t understand how it worked. He didn’t know why or how he could fuck a woman. But he didn’t feel like questioning the logistics while his dick was buried deep inside Rey’s warmth.

He just knew he needed her and wanted her more than anything else in this long immortal life.

When she cupped his ass, he couldn’t take it anymore and he shot himself into her. Nothing ever came out, but the sensation remained. Hot rich spasms tore through him and he gasped aloud.

They lay together, quietly. Kylo wanted to feed off Rey again but knew it would be a bad idea. He usually could do that with Poe if he needed to, but Poe was bigger, stronger, and used to Kylo’s feeding. And he didn’t fuck Poe.

Rey needed time to get used to him and the whole situation. He would leave and find an individual who needed peace. 

Kylo nudged Rey into sleep and got a big frown from her before she lost the battle.

“Stop fucking doing that…” she murmured as she closed her eyes.

Kylo had no regrets. “Bite me,” he said, laughing at his own dumb-ass joke.

<>

Rey woke from her amazing dream and stretched. She stopped mid-stretch. Had he put it there? The dream, that is.

She had been tucked up in Kylo’s arms, sitting on his thighs. She was warm, happy, sated from recent orgasms. They were laughing, full-throated, at something ridiculous that she couldn’t quite remember. When the laughter died down, his smile turned to a look of such love that Rey had caught her breath. His big hand stroked her hair, his amber eyes looked at her lips, his gaze roamed over her features.

“I love you so,” he said aloud in the dream.

I love you, she had thought but didn’t say it.

And she had awakened, ready to declare it to this beautiful being.

Rey felt all the soreness in her body, the unused muscles, the soreness between her legs where he had pounded into her, and the bites. Those she inspected. They were visible but close to healed.

She didn’t know why they weren’t raw and open. It was all very odd--and quite unreal.

Rey felt good, though. The sex had been astonishing. Maybe this kink of Kylo’s wasn’t so bad. She couldn’t quite believe that he was an actual vampire who was born in the time of William the Conqueror. It was an absurd thought in the harsh light of day.

She went into the bathroom to get ready for her day and felt him awaken. He nudged her a little to contact him.

She wondered if she could respond or send him some kind of message. Could he literally read her mind?

_ Go away, I’m pooping. _

She felt his warm laugh.  _ Dear mortal. _

And he withdrew his nudges.

At the library, Rey chewed on the weirdness of her encounter while she answered questions and directed people to appropriate resources. She worked on planning her Writer’s Guild group meeting and creating a new post for the library blog. And, all the while, soft whispers slipped in and out of her consciousness. Like the brush of his beard on her fingertips. Him, the one she started to crave.

_ Fuck off. I’m working. _

It was his craving.

_ Yours, too. You want me. _

_ Fuck off, Kylo. _

_ For now. _

<>

Rey chewed her lip as she sat at the help desk in the General Reading department. Her mind wandered as she answered questions about where to find reading materials, until a handsome, dark-haired man stood before her. For some reason, Rey snapped to attention. Maybe it was the look in his dark eyes--or maybe it was his question.

“Good afternoon, Rey,” he said with a small smile. “I’m looking for books on vampires.” His gaze never wavered from hers.

Had he just said her name?

Rey swallowed--hard. “Pardon?”

His smile grew broader. “I said, I’m looking for books on vampires. Specifically, one vampire. A certain Sir Kylo Ren, Knight of Ren.”

Rey blinked. “Uh, have we…?”

The man held out his hand. “Poe Dameron. I am his food.”

Rey shook the man’s hand in a daze.

“Is there somewhere we can talk?” Poe asked.

<>

Rey leaned forward in her seat at The Old Tavern after the waiter delivered their drinks. This time Rey ordered a sparkling water. She felt she needed to be fully sober for this particular conversation.

Poe lounged back in the booth, almost smirking at Rey. She wondered if he was assessing her and somehow found her lacking.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Rey said, lifting her chin. She didn’t care for judgmental people--or for this person’s smug attitude.

A soft questioning whisper slipped into her mind. She tamped it down ruthlessly, wondering whether she could stop the intrusion completely.

The question ramped up slightly and moved to a sense of concern. Rey again pushed it aside to focus on the person in front of her.

“He’s looking for a mate,” Poe said without preamble. “He will want to turn you into a vampire.”

Rey’s brows lifted. “Kylo Ren?”

“One and the same. I’ve been his food for a few years. I know him well.” Poe fiddled with his whiskey. “Kylo is busy hunting.” He paused and took a sip. “Or he stumbled upon you and your work and became fascinated. He’s like that sometimes. Finds something and attaches to it for a time.”

Rey tilted her head. “Am I to understand that it’s a passing whimsy.”

“For him, yes. For you?” He shrugged. “Vampires are forever, my dear.”

“He’ll turn me and then drop me?”

Poe wrinkled his nose. “They are a bit of a solitary race. They trust no one and nothing. They take what they want and then go on to the next thing… or person.”

“I see,” Rey said. “Has Kylo turned others and left them?”

“I wouldn’t know. He says little about his past.” Poe leaned forward. “Look, Kylo has always been a scientist--or what passed for a scientist back then. He kept meticulous notes, journals, and drawings of his experiments. He would have records, I’m sure, of who he turned and how it all went down. That’s the kind of being he is. I know he has a study and I’m sure the records are in it, probably neatly catalogued.”

Rey narrowed her eyes at Poe. “You haven’t seen the records yourself, then?”

“He’s never let me come to his house,” Poe said. “Says it’s not necessary. But you… I bet he’d let you in and you can have a look. See if he’s a monster.”

Rey pondered that statement. She licked her lips. Poe was watching her carefully, perhaps with an ulterior motive she couldn’t guess.

She sighed and heartily wished to return to the idea that vampires weren’t real. Perhaps this was simply a fevered dream her brain had concocted. Perhaps this was all a huge hoax, as Gwen suggested. Medieval cosplay and some kind of bizarre mind game she’d gotten caught up in. She never should have let Kylo come to her apartment. She knew better than that--but couldn’t seem to help herself.

“Mind control,” Rey said out loud without really meaning to.

Poe’s gaze rested on her. “Oh yeah?” He sounded much too casual. “Is Kylo nudging you?”

Relief flooded her. Poe knew about that phenomenon.

“He says he is, but I’m not sure what’s going on. I can’t seem to shake certain… thoughts, feelings, cravings, even.”

Poe nodded. “It’s definitely Kylo’s gift.” He stared off into space. “He doesn’t use it on me anymore. He doesn’t need to. I’ll do whatever he wants and give him whatever he needs.”

Rey stared at Poe. “Why?

“He’s hard to resist when he draws you in.” Poe gazed at Rey steadily.

She nodded, thinking of the amazing connection she felt with Kylo, in bed and out. “Poe, can he really turn someone into a vampire?”

“Yes.” Poe’s gaze never wavered.

“Have you seen him do it?” Rey asked.

Poe shook his head. “Not directly.”

“Do you want him to turn you?” It was Rey’s turn to maintain eye contact.

Poe dropped his gaze, looked into the depths of his drink, and laughed. “No, no thanks. I’m fine without being one of them. I bet he wants to turn you, though.”

Pressure inside Rey’s head built suddenly. She dropped her head in her hands and moaned. A strong wave of emotion--fear, anger, hunger, and desire--raced through her. Thoughts and feelings swirled inside her, and though she tried to stem the tide, it swamped her.

And then he was standing there.

Kylo.


	6. Deny Me, Deny Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey stands up for herself.

“Deny me not,” Kylo growled through gritted teeth. He loomed over the booth in a fury. Rey had shut him out of her thoughts--successfully. That had never happened before. Worse, he found her sitting with Poe.

A flash of real fear came and went in Poe’s eyes as Kylo turned on him. “And you are here, Poe Dameron. Why?”

“I thought I might share some thoughts,” Poe stammered.

“What thoughts do you have?” Kylo snapped.

Rey cut in. “Honestly, Kylo, sit down. You’re causing a scene.”

He read irritation and disgust in her mind. She found his actions boorish.

Kylo narrowed his eyes at her. If she was the least bit frightened of his dark thoughts, she gave no indication of it. He probed her mind as he plunked down next to her.

“Knock it the fuck off,” she said. “I have a headache.”

“Do _not_ shut me out,” Kylo rumbled in his deepest, darkest voice. “I will be with you.”

She gave him a look of pure disgust. “I really don’t know what you think you’re playing at with that nudge business, but some things in my life are private.”

Poe rose slightly. “I think I’ll be on my way.”

Kylo stared at him without a word, without a blink. It was a stare that mortals found intimidating, frightening even.

Poe swallowed visibly, took out his wallet, and dropped some bills on the table. “See you around, Kylo. Nice to meet you, Rey.”

Kylo pressed his lips together before he lost his temper. A small sharp elbow found his ribs, and, though it didn’t hurt, he found himself glaring at the woman beside him.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she said to Poe.

Kylo got the distinct impression from Rey’s continued annoyance--which radiated off her in waves--that he was supposed to say something. 

He resisted her nudge, not stopping to ponder the implications that she could nudge him back, and nodded at Poe darkly. He would deal with his food source later.

Rey turned to him immediately. “That was rude. What’s your problem? Don’t get snarky with him because you’re pissed at me.”

“I’m pissed, as you say, at him too. He’s not supposed to track you down to tell you secrets.”

Rey sipped her drink. “Too bad for you,” she said.

Kylo found himself growling and showing her his pointed canines, something he hadn’t done in years. He prided himself on being a gentleman, not a hooligan or a mortal-hater.

Rey rolled her eyes. “So you’re a vampire,” she said. “Big fucking deal.”

<>

Rey realized she was pushing Kylo but couldn’t muster up the ability to give a shit. She was tired of the whole business and she really did feel a blistering headache building in her skull.

The look he gave her, down his long nose, lit his eyes in a most alarming manner. Rey drew a deep breath.

“Do _not_ say the v-word in public,” he hissed through his pointy teeth.

Rey managed half an eye roll before his hand pulled her up from the booth. He retrieved a few bills from his pocket, threw them down, and hauled Rey gently but firmly out of the restaurant. She managed to grab her bag as he tugged her along without a word.

Kylo didn’t stop until he pushed Rey around the side of the tavern and into a small, cramped alley where the kitchen door opened out to the dumpster. She found herself backed up against the brick wall of the building.

Rey swallowed, a little apprehensive. Would he kill her and dump her body in the dumpster?

“A charming thought,” he whispered, staring into her eyes. “Under other circumstances, perhaps, but I’m not one who enjoys killing mortals. At first, I killed for food. Now I do it for mercy.” He stared at Rey, and his eyes flared topaz, amber, with a brief flash of red. He licked his lips and Rey imagined they became fuller, redder than usual. She was mesmerized by his intense gaze.

“Invite me in, my love,” he said softly.

Rey fought the sensations that threatened to swamp her senses: raging desire, aching love, screaming desperation, and need, such need--for her.

She dropped her head back on the bricks to show him her neck. “I have a headache, Kylo.”

His big hands stroked her face and hair. “I know. I was angry.”

“It’s not fair,” Rey said. “You’re not allowed to do things to mortals that we can’t do to you. You play with me, you hurt me, you want me to be your toy, your food. I won’t. You can make me, but you can’t have all of me unless I’m willing to give myself to you. I will not invite you.”

Kylo’s hands stilled around Rey’s head. He dropped them to her shoulders.

She glared at him and he removed his hands from her altogether.

“Take my headache away and let me go,” Rey said. She locked eyes with her vampire. “I’m serious. If you take me by force, you will hate yourself forever. I promise. I will not allow it.”

He stared at her, clearly taken aback, hungry, unwilling to stop.

“Never mind,” Rey said. “I’ll keep the headache.” She hitched up her bag and swept around him.

Rey didn’t look back, though she felt Kylo’s shock and disapproval. She really couldn’t care less.

That was a lie. She did care, but she didn’t want this arrogant bully to have any kind of upper hand. She was furious that he tried to mind-control her and then had the audacity to want an invitation--in an alleyway, no less.

Rey was not that kind of woman.

<>

Kylo found himself at Hux’s door. Hux, fellow vampire, could best be described as Kylo’s best “frenemy.” They had been adversaries back in King William’s time, as Hux tried to stop Kylo’s experiments, but the Immortal had turned them both that same dark night. And they had become allies--of a sort--through the ages.

Hux allowed Kylo in with a clipped greeting. Like Kylo, he had amassed a decent amount of money and an elegant older house. Unlike Kylo, Hux had taken a mortal wife who saw to his needs. She was young and bubbly and Kylo had no idea how she put up with the sullen vampire she called husband.

“Did you feed?” Hux asked as they sat in his living room together.

Kylo grimaced, guilt weighing heavily on him. He was too angry to trust himself near Poe, so he had found someone near the alley where Rey had stalked out. He’d been completely incensed at the situation and took his rage out on his victim. He felt no better afterwards.

Hux laughed unpleasantly. “The gentleman vampire, too delicate to hunt like the rest of us. What a lovely flower you are, Benjamin.”

“I would advise you to be wary of me, Hugh. My patience hangs by a thread.” Kylo clenched his fists and dug his nails into his hands. He had withdrawn from Rey’s tart but comforting presence that he found so seductive and enthralling. He was not in the best frame of mind to deal with Hux’s taunts and jabs.

Hux snorted. “I don’t give a shit. Why are you here, O Fastidious One? He who will not hurt the mortals? Did you bother to cloud the mind of the latest one? No, I can tell you didn’t. Fear is as lovely and nourishing as the mercy you offer.”

Kylo ground his teeth and folded his hands. “It’s not my preference and well you know it.” He took a deep breath. “I find myself drawn to a mortal woman. I wish to bond with her.” He did not wish to reveal too much about the situation.

“And you are telling me this because…?” Hux asked rather acidly.

“Because I have no one else to speak to. Hugh, there are none of our kind nearby. Although I don’t relish speaking my mind to you, nevertheless, you are here and you are Immortal. We are bonded by our Maker as… friends, I suppose, for lack of a better term. I’d like your thoughts on the matter.”

Hux’s pretty wife, Rose, walked in and smiled at Kylo. “Hi, Ben,” she chirped cheerfully.

“Rose,” he said. He blanched a little at the use of his Before Name by a mortal, but he supposed Hux’s wife had some privileges, especially since Hux was unwilling to make her immortal.

“What’s the buzz, cuz?” She plopped herself down.

“Just a visit.” He didn't wish to elaborate, knowing that Rose and Rey were friends.

Rose narrowed her eyes at the two men. “Ha. Doubt that. Don’t ask Hux-a-bux for his opinion. He doesn't know shit.”

“And cares less,” Hux said. “Our Benjamin here wants to bond with a mortal woman.”

“Nice,” said Rose. “Will you turn her or just marry her, like Hux did?”

“I would turn her, but she feeds me like no other. Not even Poe’s blood offers the same… taste.” Kylo hesitated to reveal the nature of Rey’s honey-sweet blood. It was too intimate a detail to share with one such as Hux.

Rose scooted closer to Hux. “That’s how it is with us.”

Hux grimaced. “Don’t tell our business to the world, Rosie.”

She smiled at him and snuggled his arm. “You’ll live.”

“Clearly,” Hux said.

“My love is angry with me,” Kylo continued. “She refused to allow me to feed because of … reasons.” Again, the details felt too personal to share.

Hux stared at Kylo. “And you walked away without taking her?”

“She said she had a headache.”

Rose busted out laughing. “It’s what we women say when we want you to take a hike.”

Kylo glared at her. “I understand that. However, what isn’t clear is why I didn’t follow her and take what I wanted. I wished to do so. I also wished to kill Poe. He sought out her when she was at work and talked to her about our kind.”

Rose shrugged. “She’s going to learn soon enough.”

“Not from Poe,” Kylo snapped. “I should kill him.”

Hux stood and stretched. “You’ll never kill Poe, Delicate Flower. Turn the girl, don’t turn her. I really could care less. Now, get out of my house.”

Kylo glared at Hux, seething. He lunged at the other man, who laughed uproariously and sidestepped. Rose screamed. Kylo caught Hux and pulled out his old seax, a dagger from their time. It had always been his weapon of choice and he’d kept it on him since he was a youth. He dragged the slimmer man to his knees and fisted Hux’s red hair. He placed the seax at the apex of Hux’s throat.

“I told you, Hugh. I’m in no mood to fool with you.” He had no idea why he was so angered by something he usually brushed off.

Hux gritted his teeth and moaned as the blade jabbed his jugular. “Don’t even try it.”

Rose grabbed Kylo by the arm. “Let him go, Ben. For God’s sake.”

Kylo stood immobile. “I could kill you. With enough rage and power, I could.” He shook Hux, who growled and scrabbled to gain some footing.

“In fact, you can’t,” Hux breathed out. He rammed an elbow into Kylo’s side and knocked the seax loose with a fist. It clattered to the floor.

“Let him go, Ben,” Rose begged. “You’re bonded, remember? You literally can’t kill him.”

Kylo snarled at her and she took a step back with wary eyes.

He threw Hux to the floor, snatched up the seax, and left, slamming the door behind him. 

He heard Hux yelling behind him. “Some healer you are, Benjamin de Kysolou. And don’t threaten my wife, asshole.”


	7. There Are Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey sets some limits with one handsome vampire.

Once she arrived at home, Rey’s headache abated. She felt soft tendrils of emotion reaching, then retreating. She knew Kylo wanted her and she also knew he was sorry for his actions. She steeled herself against him, rationalizing that she barely knew him. She had no business being seduced by… whatever he was.

Rey forced herself to do normal things: she made a cup of herbal tea, dressed in her pajamas, curled up on the couch with the remote to watch a show--which she stared at blankly.

Truth be told, Rey missed Kylo. She hadn’t realized how much she liked thinking about him and receiving a sweet rush whenever his visage floated into her imagination. It was the memory of a smile, a saucy wink, or a kiss whispering over her lips. Perhaps these were visions--not memories at all. She couldn’t deny the connection that had been there, as bizarre as it was. His presence in her mind had been strange but oddly comforting, as if she could call him and he would be there in seconds. He would deeply connect to her and make her feel…

Whole.

Shit.

TV forgotten, Rey leapt up from the couch and headed for her desk. When in doubt, she returned to what she knew best. Writing. She opened her laptop and began writing a message to this man who invaded her dreams.

_ Dear Kylo: _

_ There would need to be some rules. _

She hesitated and then typed:

_ Privacy is important. You can’t dictate what I do and who I talk to. _

_ Honesty is also important. I don’t know what this is between us or what you want. Please be honest with me. You must understand that this is a new and bizarre situation. _

_ Perhaps I can believe in your nudges and this weird capability to communicate thoughts and emotions. Perhaps I can believe you have a penchant for kinky sex where you bite me and call it food. I can deal with those things. However, immortality seems far-fetched. Vampires are not real, Kylo. And you can’t turn me into one. _

She hit send.

<>

Rey heard nothing, felt nothing the whole next day. It was for the best, she told herself. This situation seemed beyond her ability to handle. Immortality. Vampires. What next?

After the end of her library shift, she felt Kylo slowly open to her, tentative at first, then more fully, and she almost cried with relief. She got in her car and began to drive. Indeed, she knew where he lived without being told--the way opened to her as she drove.

The connection grew stronger each passing minute. Kylo’s incandescent joy slammed into Rey when she parked in his driveway. The front door banged open and he stood there, hair tousled, damp from a shower, bright red t-shirt, low slung sweats, and bare feet.

Rey ran. Kylo caught her and they merged, lips meeting, minds finding each other. He picked her up, kicked the door shut, and carried her into his house. He would have carried her to the bedroom, but she wiggled.

“Put me down, Kylo. We have to talk.”

He did, rather reluctantly. Rey ignored the desire, disappointment, and need that rose inside him.

She looked around curiously. “I want to see your coffin,” she said.

“I’m not dead,” he growled, irritated. “I have no coffin.” The decor was elegant but rather sparse in distinct contrast to Rey’s homey nest. She much preferred her abode.

The kitchen was dark and almost completely unused, with a lone coffeemaker perched sadly on the bare countertop. The posh living room boasted dark, heavy furniture, all of it oversized and upholstered in deep maroon with black accents.

“What a dark little hole you have here,” Rey said.

“Thank you so much,” Kylo replied. “I knew you’d hate it. I’m beginning to hate it myself.”

Rey took a seat on the uncomfortable couch.

“You can reimagine the space any time you like,” Kylo said, taking a seat next to her. He took up a lot of room. When he reached for her, she scooted away.

“Well, as to that,” she began. “You got my email, then.”

“And you are relieved and happy.” He slid closer again. “You missed me.”

“Nevertheless, I need space,” she admonished, fending him off.

“I don’t like that idea,” he replied and took her hand. He pressed his lips against her palm, sending a sweet shiver down her spine.

“Tough shit.” She pulled her hand back. “There are rules.”

He closed his eyes. Rey slammed the connection shut so she wouldn’t see images of him doing unbelievably sexy things to her body.

“I swear to… I mean it when I say knock it off,” Rey gritted out. “I will leave.”

Kylo opened his eyes. “Don’t.”

“I’m serious. Maybe you get your way with every other mortal in the world, but with me, you have to earn the right to be here.” She tapped her forehead. “I need privacy and I need autonomy. I don’t care what era you think you’re from.” She paused and Kylo looked at her expectantly. “And there are no such things as immortals or vampires. Just saying.”

Kylo sighed heavily. “I’m from the Middle Ages, as it’s called--the 11th century. I have, however, lived a long time and I no longer subscribe to the old ways.” Kylo picked up a sheathed knife from the coffee table. He slid the seax out of its protective covering. “This is mine. It was forged for me by our blacksmith when I was a Knight of Ren for King William. I used it in battle, as protection, and often as an all-purpose utensil. I swear on it and my life, what I tell you is true.”

“William, as in The Conqueror? Really?” Rey asked skeptically. She knew he’d said that before, but she had trouble reconciling this information with the youthful, vigorous man in front of her.

“The very one,” Kylo said. He handed her the seax.

Rey examined the weapon. It looked old but well-kept, polished, sharpened, obviously not a relic dug out of Sutton Hoo or someplace.

“Sutton Hoo is way before my time,” Kylo said, laughing. “That’s 6th century.”

“Fine,” Rey said, handing the weapon back to Kylo. “Anyway, there are rules. I don’t care if you’re into kink. I liked it, though maybe we could mix it up some and not always do the blood thing…”

Kylo put his hand on Rey’s arm. “I read the email. Let me prove my immortality.” He rose from the couch and took Rey’s hand. He opened a dark-stained door of heavy wood. Inside sat a big ornate wooden desk, a round table and chairs, and rows upon rows of books, many of them flat-spined and bound with cords. They were homemade, Rey thought.

Rey sat at the table while Kylo selected an old volume clearly sewn together by hand. He put it on the table in front of Rey. “Unfortunately, much of my work was written on materials that broke down over time. Eventually, I was forced to rewrite certain sections from when I was doing experiments. This one survived, however.”

Rey carefully opened the book to see neat handwriting in a language she didn’t recognize. It looked a bit like French to her untrained eye.

“It is the dialect of French that we spoke, until we moved into London. Even then, the King’s French was spoken widely. I learned Anglo-Saxon later when I learned to read and write.”

“Read it to me,” Rey said.

And Kylo read it in a strange fluid accent, then switched to a different language that sounded guttural, almost Germanic.

“Anglo-Saxon?” Rey asked.

“Indeed,” Kylo said. “These are records of scientific experiments I conducted.”

“How do I know this is all real?” Rey raised her eyes to look into Kylo’s face.

“You don’t,” he said. His eyes flared with a strange light and Rey felt him in her and around her. The air seemed charged and the hair on her arms prickled. She saw him, young and impetuous, arguing with a slender man with red hair. They were windblown and screaming at one another.

The redhaired man grabbed a sword and ran at Kylo, who parried with his own bright blade. Though they fought wildly and nicked one another several times but neither fully conquered the other. Another smaller, heavier man broke up the fight. All wore rough woolen tunics with leggings and soft shoes.

Then, Rey saw Kylo bent over, mixing together a paste of some kind, vigorously grinding more ingredients in. He stopped to rub his sweaty forehead and scratch a few notes with a pointed feather dipped in a dark ink. He wore the same tunic with sleeves rolled up.

The vision faded.

“You?”

“And my fellow knight, Hugh--or Hux, as he calls himself now. That was me working on an experiment. That was my life.” 

“I recognize him. Hux is my friend’s husband,” Rey murmured.

“Yes,” said Kylo.

“He is immortal, too?” Rey asked. “Is she?”

Kylo hesitated. “Yes, he is, but Rose is not,” he said. “I haven’t told either of them about us. I told them that I met someone I wish to fully bond with. That’s all.”

Rey sat, chewing her lip.

Kylo traced her lips with a gentle finger and leaned in for a light kiss. “One more bit of evidence, my love.”

Rey felt his need to prove his claims and his desire for her to believe him. She blew out a long breath.

He returned to the shelf and pulled down a large illustrated coffee table book entitled  _ A History of William the Conqueror _ . He placed the book in front of Rey with a page marked.

She opened it carefully. Inside she saw colorful drawings of various people in medieval garb, similar to the visions Kylo shared with her. The heading on the page read  _ Famous People in William the Conqueror’s court. _ _ Sir Benjamin de Kysolou.  _ Under the heading was a drawing of a man, wearing a rough woolen tunic, much like the one in Rey’s vision. The face was familiar: patrician features, long nose, dark wavy hair, full lips, and amber eyes.

It was Kylo.

Rey sucked in a breath.

Kylo knelt down next to her and took her hands in his. “I am Benjamin de Kysolou, my love, and I am immortal.”


	8. Turn Me...Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who wants to be a vampire?

Kylo allowed Rey a moment. She swallowed hard and stared at him in disbelief. He knew she’d been trying to rationalize everything he’d told her. And now, she really didn’t have any way to deny it. Or him.

He soothed her gently, trying to be as circumspect as possible, knowing she didn’t like him to perform his brand of mind control on her. 

He needed Rey to accept the truth, so they could move forward. He wanted her, fully and completely. He wanted her to accept the bond that they had developed.

Kylo stood and wandered around the study for a few moments, located a few of his most important possessions, and returned to sit next to Rey. For a moment, he couldn’t speak. He closed his eyes and wondered about the wisdom of doing this thing he was about to do.

“My love, let me…”

“Turn me.” She cut him off.

He stuttered on his sentence. “Pardon?”

“You heard me.” Her eyes were crystal green in the low light.

“Uh,” he said.

“I would make an excellent vampire,” she said. “Then I can write stories with full knowledge.”

“Rey,” he said. “That’s not a good reason…”

She stood up and shoved him in the chest. “You want to bond, Benjamin de Kysolou. Let’s bond.” She exposed her neck to him.

He caught her hand in his. “Now, Rey...” He nudged her lightly.

She stared down at him . “Don’t fucking nudge me. Let me make a decision on my own.”

“I’m not sure,” he found himself saying. “Perhaps I want to feast on you instead. Maybe I love you as a mortal.” He suddenly felt hesitant to turn her, not knowing what would happen. He knew that she didn’t really understand the implications of her request. She might be miserable; she might despise him.

Rey gazed at Kylo for beat after beat, while he tasted the bitterness of his words, his lack of control, his desire spinning outward, enveloping her. He wanted to keep her safe and happy as a mortal, to drink from her, to nourish himself through her...and yet he wanted her to bond with him as another immortal, as full equals, living forever. Indecision tore through him.

Then… Rey opened herself, fully and completely. She invited him in. “Come to me, vampire.”

Kylo didn’t need a second request. He stood, lifted Rey into his arms, and swiftly carried her to the bedroom. He couldn’t wait. He stripped her leggings, shoes and socks off. He parted her legs and fumbled his pants open.

With his mind, he sought her and found her completely open there, too. He penetrated her. No nudging, just full on bonding with her, merging her thoughts, feelings, and desires entirely with his own. He opened himself to her and flooded her senses with his own pleasure and anticipation.

He tasted and teased her neck with his tongue, tiny soft licks, tasting sweat and sweetness, smelling her hot scent.

Kylo pushed his dick into Rey’s body while she wrapped arms and legs around him. Then he clouded her mind with his love. He felt her desire ramp up and begin to crest. At the moment of Rey’s orgasm, Kylo clamped down on her neck and sucked deep and long. His sustenance. His life. It flowed into him like syrup, like hot honey.

At that moment, he could not turn away from the lifeblood she gave him.

He drank more from her than he did last time. He ripped his mouth away and shuddered as his own orgasm tore through him.

He pulled out and rocked his love to sleep.

When Rey woke, the bond would be even stronger. Kylo drifted peacefully. He had never been happier.

<>

Rey dreamed in Kylo’s arms.

She saw what he saw. He drifted on a reservoir of memory.

_ There was a woman in a white tunic with golden embroidery, long black hair covered with a rough woolen hood. She had thrown off the hood in the forest and told him she knew what he sought. He was enchanted by her. He wished to bed her and make her his. _

_ His best friend Hugh walked up behind him. “No, Benjamin, don’t believe her,” Hugh had shouted. _

_ Ben ignored him. “What do you have?” Ben asked her. _

_ “Life eternal.” _

_ Hugh called her a witch and lunged at her. She knocked him down with one hand never breaking eye contact with Ben.  _

_ “I am Selene, a very old Immortal. I am from Lilith, the woman before Eve.” _

_ Ben took a step back. “I do not understand.” He stared at his friend Hugh on the ground. _

_ “I can give you life.” _

_ “Perhaps,” Ben answered her. “I must take care of Hugh. He’s a fellow Knight.” _

_ She smiled. “You will see me again.” _

_ Ben picked Hugh up and carried him back to his home. Hugh awakened frightened and begged Ben to leave Selene be. _

_ Ben refused. _

Rey woke briefly when Kylo rolled over, restless, remembering. She patted his back and drifted back into the dream.

_ Ben strode toward the woods to meet his lover. Tonight he would be changed forever, immortal. Excitement rippled through him and his strides lengthened. He could not wait to be with Selene through eternity. Though he did not love her, he enjoyed her body and he felt he could learn much from her wisdom. _

_ He saw Selene standing, tall and imposing, luminous and full of life. At her feet, lay a man with bright red hair. _

_ Ben ran up to Hugh’s form. “Selene, what have you done?” he demanded. _

_ “He would have foiled our plans,” she said with a light laugh. “He was determined to save you from destruction. He did not understand.” _

_ Ben stared at Hugh and then looked at Selene in horror. “Not Hugh. Not him. He is not for immortality. He cannot live like that.” _

_ “It is much too late,” Selene said. “I must bring him back to life. Watch. Then you will know how to do it, too, when the time comes.” _

_ Ben swallowed hard. This was not a lesson he’d planned to learn today. _

_ And she knelt. She ripped her wrist with a long nail and dripped crimson fluid onto Hugh’s mouth. She forced it between his lips. He breathed in suddenly and swallowed. _

_ “Wake up forever, Hugh,” she said. She laughed a tinkling little sound. “You now have a bond with this man you call friend, Benjamin. For life. Know that you may not destroy one another.” _

_ The words made Ben’s skin crawl. Hugh sat up suddenly. He looked at Ben and licked his lips. _

_ “No, no, pet,” Selene said. “He’s mine. You go find a rabbit. Humans for you later.” _

_ Hugh jumped up and ran off into the woods. _

_ Ben found Selene on him before he could think. She dropped to her knees and sucked him into her mouth. She made him gasp and come hard before he could think to say anything. Then her sharp, sharp teeth plunged into his groin. _

Rey woke with a start. Kylo’s amber eyes were open when she looked at him.

“That’s how,” Rey said.

“I passed out and then woke up to find Hugh sucking on a rabbit’s neck. He had hunted them aplenty and I joined him, humiliated at drinking animal blood.” He shrugged. “One does what one must to survive.”

“Your journey to immortality wasn’t all that pleasant.”

“No,” he said. “It wasn’t, though I thought it would be.”

“Did she ever help you?”

“Yes, our maker came back eventually. But Hugh and I, bound together as we are, learned on our own.”

“Would Hux kill you?”

“He has wished to kill me and I him, but Selene made it impossible when she connected us.” He paused. “It is nothing like our connection, dearest love. It is mere expedience.”

Rey nodded, sleepy again. She snuggled on Kylo’s broad shoulder. She had never felt so close to another person. His strong presence hummed inside her, and, for some strange reason, she knew she belonged. She was his life.

“Rey,” he whispered, kissing her hair, nuzzling her ear. “I must tell you something. I must finish what I started earlier.” He slipped out of bed, naked, and padded into the study to retrieve the precious items he left there.

When he returned, he turned on the bedside lamp. He dropped a velvet bag on the bed and sat. Rey sat up, wide awake again, sensing a shift in his mood. He was anxious, apprehensive, tense.

He opened the drawstring bag and drew out another seax covered with a piece of material. He laid the covered knife carefully on the bed. Then he pulled out a small glass bottle with a dropper for a lid. That, too, he placed nearby.

Kylo drew a deep breath.

Rey waited for him to collect his thoughts.

He looked up and met her eyes. He lifted the dagger. “This is my death. It is a seax made of rosewood with a silver handle. It will kill me if you plunge it into my neck or my heart.” He unwrapped the thick, red-toned wooden dagger, sharp, rounded, and polished to a high sheen. He didn’t touch the wood. “It burns where it touches me but doesn’t kill unless it’s pushed in up to the hilt.” He rewrapped it and placed it back on the bed.

Next, he picked up the dark glass bottle. “This is fresh oil from the rosewood tree. It will slow me down, though it might not completely kill me unless someone forces the contents of the entire bottle between my lips. It can be used to incapacitate me long enough to stab me. I may be too quick and too strong to allow the knife to penetrate if a mortal wields it. The oil can be dropped on me, splashed into a handkerchief, or otherwise pressed into my skin. It will burn me.” Kylo placed the bottle next to the knife. “These are yours. Keep them in your apartment, please.”

Rey’s stomach turned. “Why?” she croaked. She cleared her dry throat. “Why would you give me the means of your destruction?”

Kylo met Rey’s gaze steadily. “If I ever try to hurt you or turn you against your will, I want you to defend yourself. Kill me. Don’t hesitate.”

Rey’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know if…”

Kylo leaned forward and took her hand. “You must. You need to be able to protect yourself. I want you safe.”

“Even if it means your life?” Rey asked.

“Yes,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I know you will use these weapons wisely. You wouldn’t kill me without just cause. I trust you.”

She knew he did. She felt it welling up inside him. He was hers and he showed his greatest vulnerability without hesitation.

She perceived that he had raged while she was gone, that he was ashamed of himself.

“I almost hurt you,” he whispered. “I wanted to take you against your will.”

Rey touched his face. “You didn’t. I walked away.”

“I hurt someone else.” He refused to look her in the eye. “I threatened Hugh.”

“It’s your nature as a vampire,” she said. “Isn’t it?”

“I am a healer, a scientist, not a killer,” he mumbled. “Before I turned, I swore not to kill without mercy.” Kylo lifted his eyes and Rey saw tears threatening to spill over. She didn’t know he could still cry. She touched his face and swiped his tears with her thumb. He turned his cheek into her hand.

Rey had no words to soothe him, when he showed her what he did in the alley beside the Tavern after she left. She watched him kill mercilessly and drain a young man of his life without any other reason than the overwhelming rage that swamped him. He hated himself sometimes, he hated Hux for tormenting him through the years, and, for a brief and hideous moment, he’d hated her for being an unattainable mortal.

It was all too much. Rey dropped her head in her hands and cried for Kylo and herself and this crazy situation she found herself in.

Vampires, immortality, blood, and rosewood death.

Rey’s lover held her tightly, guilty and sore inside. He kissed her forehead, wiped her tears, cried a few more of his own, and murmured his undying love for her until both their tears subsided.

<>

While Rey drifted, Kylo slid down her body and ate her out thoroughly until she begged him to allow her to come on his tongue. He let her come finally and suffused her physical release with further endorphins. He allowed her to feel what he felt when she came.

It was heaven. It was what she needed. Kylo calmed her, soothed her, and adored her.

<>

When Kylo slipped into sleep, Rey’s mind reawoke, spinning and churning with crazy thoughts.

She was also quite hungry. He’d fed himself but she had eaten nothing.

Kylo had shared his secrets with a mortal. He trusted her with his life, literally. The thought of turning into a vampire herself slipped away when she considered it for a moment. She remembered reaching the peak of pleasure with Kylo inside her and his lips on her neck. Perhaps she didn’t want to give that connection up--she fed him, she sustained him, she was his source of strength.

She didn’t dare move for fear of waking him. His ability to nudge her, to cloud her, had ebbed.

She could still feel him there but he was peacefully snoring as if he hadn’t slept in a while. And his powers were turned down.

<>

Rey slid out of bed, pulled on Kylo’s t-shirt, and padded back to the kitchen. She didn’t expect to find much in the way of mortal sustenance, and a quick look in the refrigerator confirmed her expectation. There were cheese slices and bread. Clearly, the man had little idea of what modern snacking looked like.

Rey pulled both out and made a sandwich. She grabbed a bottle of water as well and paced while she munched. The study door caught her eye. Poe said she could find out if her dear vampire had been with others, maybe turned someone and dropped them. Had he bonded with someone else?

She chewed the rest of her sandwich, opened the thick door, and went inside. A small desk lamp provided enough light to see the shelves. Some of the volumes were marked with topic and date on the front, scratched into the cover or painted on with ink. There were some books written in languages she couldn’t read, some in modern English. All seemed to be records of experiments and the like. 

Rey was looking for a diary or journal in English that she could read.

She chewed her lip and ran her fingers over rounded spines of more recent editions. One set of books merely had numbers on their labels. She pulled one off the shelf. The numbers were indeed dates.

She opened the book to peruse the contents.

“It wouldn’t help you,” a deep voice said behind her. “It’s written in French.”

Rey jumped and almost dropped the book.

Kylo’s big arms wrapped around Rey from behind and pulled her close to his chest. Her bottom pressed against his thighs. He was naked.

His lips caressed her neck, pressing tiny kisses against it. His tongue darted out to taste the spot where he’d bitten her earlier. He rumbled a soft sigh.

“Don’t snoop, my love,” he murmured. “It’s against the rules.”

“Huh,” she said as his arms tightened around her.

He grazed her neck with his sharp teeth. “I should punish you.”

“You wish,” she murmured. “I’m not afraid of you.” She turned in his arms and gazed into his smiling face. “Punish away, baby, and see what happens.” She laughed and held up her fists. She poked him in his bare chest, while he grabbed her fist and kissed the knuckles.

“What are you looking for?” he asked. His gaze sharpened.

“Something about your past,” she said.

“Why don’t you just ask me?” One eyebrow crooked.

Rey lifted her chin. “Would you tell me the truth?”

He chuckled. “You forget the power you have over me. You’d know if I was lying. And, anyway, I’m a Knight of Ren. I don’t lie. Ask me the question.”

Rey pressed her lips together. She sighed. “Okay, I just want to know if you’ve bonded with anyone else before me. Did you turn any other women?”

Kylo’s eye contact never wavered. “Look inside and tell me the answer.”

Rey surveyed Kylo’s handsome features and tousled hair. She saw the small, loving smile on his lips. His amber eyes flared red for a moment, then turned soft gold. And, when his emotions welled up inside her, Rey saw the truth.

She reached out for him and touched his dear face. She pulled him close to her for a searing kiss.

Kylo lifted her easily, swept his desk clear of items and placed her on it. He stepped between her legs, hard, ready to slide into her. She wrapped her arms around him as he merged with her mind and body.

He wanted to bond with her and her alone. There were no others.


	9. One More Vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is turned into a vampire today.

Rey sat with Gwen in Rose’s ornate living room for the next girls’ night “in” as Rose called it. She had asked her friends to come over for nachos and homemade margaritas. Rey kissed her vampire boyfriend, stopped by home to pick up the bags of chips she’d bought, and scooted out to Rose’s.

They were all chatting, full, comfortable, and a little lit, when Rose brought up the topic.

“So, Rey, I put two and two together and came up with one Kylo Ren.” Rose toasted her friend.

Rey’s mouth dropped open.

“Kylo Ren?” Gwen repeated. “That weird guy who was bugging you online? The one who thinks he’s a vampire?”

Rose laughed. “Gwennie, he is a vampire. He’s Benjamin de Kysolou, alchemist, Knight of Ren, vampire. I bullied Hux into letting me talk about it, finally. The man has a thing about secrecy--and he kept trying to cloud my memory. Fucker.” She took a big swig of her drink. “I had to put my foot down on that little trick.”

Gwen stared at Rose, then looked at Rey. “What?”

“Yeah, Kylo and Hux are both Immortals,” Rey said. “We seem to be the vampire-loving sisters here, Rose.”

“Are you sure?” Gwen asked. “Not just some kind of cosplay?”

“If it is,” Rey said. “It’s pretty convincing.” 

Rose shook her head. “It’s not cosplay. Hux and I have been married for five years now. He’s a vampire.” She jumped up and plucked the same big illustrated history book that Kylo had shown Rey off a shelf.

They all sat together on the couch looking at the drawings of the two men.

“Damn,” Gwen said. “I had no idea. Where do I get a sexy vampire?”

Rose laughed. “Maybe one on the way.” She winked.

Rey stared at her. “Who?”

“Hux won’t say, but I think he’s got some kind of plan to turn someone. He mutters in his sleep. Maybe we can introduce you, Gwennie.”

Rey fortified herself with a slug of Margarita. “Rosie, Kylo wants to turn me. Or rather I want him to turn me. Or maybe both. I don’t know.” Kylo and Rey had put a pin in the notion of turning Rey for the moment after another heated argument. They had taken turns arguing each side of the issue and came up with no solid answer. Rey decided to go ahead and lay it out for her friends.

Rose and Gwen both gaped at Rey. “No,” said Rose. “That’s a bad idea.”

“Why?” asked Rey.

Gwen piped up. “If it’s real, which, well… no comment. If it is, though, you don’t want to be a vampire. Suck blood, prey on innocent people, hunt, kill. What the fuck, Rey?”

“Agreed.” Rose shuddered. “Ugh.”

Rey stared off into space, looking for Kylo’s reassuring presence. She felt his warm love wash over her. “You let Hux feed off of you,” Rey noted.

Rose gazed at her. “That’s different, though. You must know what it’s like with Ben, I mean, Kylo. It’s part of…” She waved her hand.

Gwen made a face. “Part of the kink? Ugh.” It was Gwen’s turn to take a drink. She shuddered.

“When you love them, it’s different,” Rose said stoutly. “It’s nice.”

Rey considered that a vast understatement. “Kylo would like to fully bond. We can bond as vampire and mortal, but he thinks it will be stronger the other way. And I live forever with him by my side. I can’t think of a reason not to.”

“You would have to die,” Gwen said. “That’s kind of a good reason not to.”

“And you don’t know what it will be like,” Rose said. “Hux-a-bux found the transition distasteful.”

“He was turned against his will,” Rey said. “I’m choosing to join my mate.”

Gwen and Rose eyed her sceptically.

“Will you two still be my friends, if I turn? Even if you don’t agree with my decision?” Rey looked first at Rose, then at Gwen.

They exchanged glances.

“If you still want us,” Rose said. “I don’t know if your personality would change or not. Maybe you won’t want to be friends with mortals.”

“I would always want to be friends with you two,” Rey said, smiling. “Maybe you’ll join us, Rose. Maybe you, too, Gwen.”

Gwen scratched her nose. “Maybe. I’d have to think about it.”

Rose took Rey’s hand in hers. “If you needed me, I could feed you.”

Gwen swallowed hard and took Rey’s other hand. “I guess I could, too.”

Rey bit her lip and squeezed their hands. “I appreciate it so much. Gwen, I wouldn’t even ask. You look positively green at the thought.”

“I’m feeling a bit green all the way around with all this vampire talk. Blood makes me woozy.”

They all laughed. Rose toasted Rey and the three drained their glasses.

“Here’s to a brave woman. Drink up while you can,” Rose commented. “You won’t want it later, if you turn.”

“When’s it happening?” Gwen asked.

“I’m not sure. We’re going back and forth on the question. I may have to convince…” His name died on her lips as the force of emotion hit her.

She sat up straight. “Fuck. Something’s wrong. I have to go.”

“Where?” Rose asked.

Rey stood. “Poe’s house.”

“Oh no,” Rose said. “That’s the name.”

“Whose name?” Gwen asked faintly while Rey grabbed her bag.

“The guy Hux plans to turn,” Rose said.

<>

Rey raced out of Rose’s house and jumped in her car. She felt Kylo and knew he was in trouble.

She sent her thoughts to him to let him know she was on her way.

The response was immediate horror and it wasn’t just a nudge. The whole of Kylo’s intent and will pushed against Rey. She was unable to fight him this time. She felt him beg her to trust him and do as he asked. Then he made her go home.

Though Rey was annoyed that Kylo felt the need to force her, she knew he was busy handling whatever it was. By the time she got home, he’d shut her out to shield her from the rawness of his emotions.

All of which centered on Poe.

<>

The phone call was brief. Hux laughed on the other end. “My delicate Benjamin, I have decided to help you out. Since you have trouble making decisions, I will make one for you. We do need another vampire in our lives, but perhaps not the one you think. Come and help me, Flower of Benjamin.”

“Why?” Kylo barked into the phone. “Who? What the hell are you doing?” He realized he was talking to no one.

And then he understood. Although Kylo’s decision was to turn Rey, Hux was going to turn Poe.

Kylo ran to his car faster than a mortal could see.

He drove, weaving in and out of traffic, moving people with nudges, clouding the minds of patrol officers.

He made it to Poe’s residence and pulled into the driveway. The feeling that slammed through him made him drop his head on the steering wheel.

Possessiveness, jealousy, and a wall of sheer emotion buffeted Kylo’s senses and made him sick. He coughed. He tasted copper in his mouth, like the blood of the first human he killed long ago.

He saw behind his eyes a dark energy that rose from the house.

Kylo flung the car door open and ran. He didn’t even shut it behind him. He banged on the front door viciously, then rammed it open with one shoulder. The lock twisted and gave. He kicked the door completely down and barreled into Poe’s living room.

“No,” he shouted.

Hux was on Poe, fangs out, sucking the rest of the life out.

“What? What are you doing?” Kylo cried out. He ran to Poe, glassy-eyed, supine on the couch.

Hux jumped on Kylo with a snarl, tore open Kylo’s wrist with a swift, vicious motion. Kylo fought Hux for control of his own arm but Hux had the advantage of surprise. He pulled out a jagged-edged seax, an old dagger, a dark patina of green marking its surface.

“I can kill you with one of our weapons of old,” Hux declared.

Kylo tried to twist away. “That’s not true, and you know it. You can’t kill me at all, Hugh. Let me go.” 

Hux pressed the knife against Kylo’s inner elbow. “Feed him. Make him yours. Then he will kill you for me.” Hux cut Kylo deeply and it burned. Kylo gritted his teeth and punched Hux.

“Feed him and make him yours,” Hux hissed from the floor where he lay.

“Why?” Kylo put a foot on Hux’s neck and tried to wrestle the seax away. Hux grabbed Kylo’s ankle and stabbed at his leg. The seax tore a hole in Kylo’s pants but didn’t break the skin. Hux rolled away and stood up quickly. He circled Kylo, knife raised.

“He can be your soulmate, not the writer woman,” Hux said unpleasantly and lunged. Kylo sidestepped but Hux caught him and put him in a headlock. 

“No, he cannot,” Kylo growled and tried to break free. Hux cut him again and again while Kylo writhed under the sting of the old blade and twisted to break free from Hux’s claws.

Hux yanked Kylo downward on the couch and pressed one of the cuts on Poe’s open mouth. “Drink, my darling Poe. Drink and wake to bond with Benjamin.” Hux squeezed thick, dark blood out of the wound.

Kylo pulled his arm away from Poe’s sucking mouth. “No,” he shouted.

Poe’s strength rose and he grabbed Kylo’s arm and suckled harder. His eyes flew open. Kylo yanked his arm back. He knocked the seax out of Hux’s hand and caught it midair. He lunged at Hux, who laughed and danced away. 

Poe rose. “Hungry.”

“Feed your love, Benjamin,” Hux crooned. “Don’t make him eat rabbits.”

With a curse, Kylo dropped the knife and hugged Poe to him. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered as Poe nuzzled his neck, trying to bite him with new fangs.

Hux clapped his hands. “Well, my work is done. Good luck.” He turned to walk away. Kylo tossed the knife squarely into Hux’s back.

Hux screamed and yanked it out. He threw it back, but Kylo ducked it and it fell harmlessly behind him. Poe saw Hux’s blood welling out of the wound. He mewled and ran to Hux, holding him around the waist while he tried to suck.

Hux smacked him away. “Get him off me. He can’t eat that.”

Kylo pulled Poe off. “This is your fault. Go get someone,” he barked at Hux. “You can’t leave me here like this. He will wander while I’m out hunting.”

“Ha.” Hux walked out, crunching over the fallen door. “No one helped us.” And he bounded down the steps, dripping blood on the stone. He backed around Kylo’s car and sped off.

Kylo stuffed Poe into his own car and went looking for someone to feed on. He called Rey to tell her the situation. She wanted to help but he said he couldn’t stop Poe from killing whomever was nearby. She wisely chose to stay home, though he had to admit he would have used all his power to keep her there.

After they both fed, Kylo took Poe home. He stayed with the new vampire to help him become acclimated. Kylo could no longer nudge Poe or see his mind.

“Why?” Kylo asked, when Poe woke and came to his senses.

“He came to me with a bargain,” Poe said. “He said he would do it so you and I could be together.”

“I’m not your mate,” Kylo said. “And he turned you to kill me.”

Poe stared at him with unblinking eyes. “You made me. You are bound to me. I won’t kill you.”

“No,” Kylo said, softly. “I’m not bound to you, Poe. It’s not the same if one of us is unwilling.”

“You will bind yourself to me,” Poe said.

Kylo felt the power in Poe’s voice. The voice would be his gift, his weapon. He would call to mortals and they would come to him. 

“Poe, your voice doesn’t work on other vampires,” Kylo said wearily.

“It will work on her,” Poe said softly. “Very nicely.”

Kylo sat there for a beat, not quite realizing what Poe was getting at.

Poe smiled, showing his new teeth.

Kylo was on Poe faster than a human could see. He pressed Poe back into his seat and shook him by his shirt front. “Don’t you even think about it, vampire. I made you and I can unmake you.”

Poe just lifted his chin. “Bond. With. Me.”

“No,” Kylo snarled and shoved Poe.

“Ben,” Poe said.

“No one calls me that, ever.” Kylo held Poe’s neck and twisted it to one side. He bit him hard and let the new blood gush out.

Poe grabbed the wound and howled.

Kylo stood. “Never threaten me again. In fact, stay away from me and mine or I will kill you.”

<>

Kylo paced his living room after leaving Poe. He couldn’t go to Rey like this--all wound up. He shielded her from his emotions and she graciously allowed it. She would be a powerful vampire. He realized, even if she didn’t, how strong she had become. She could force her way behind the shield and stop him from nudging, though at the moment, she was unaware of her abilities. Most of the time, she didn’t want to block him. He could tell she liked his presence in her thoughts and feelings. And he would give anything to bury himself in her tonight, body, mind, and whatever passed for a soul within him. 

Fucking Hugh. What had he done? Kylo groaned. 

He didn’t want food. He wanted comfort. He wanted Rey to be with him on every level. He realized then that he really did want an equal partner, regardless of drawbacks. He wanted to speak to his mate, his sweet love, about turning her. He wanted to finalize the decision, quietly, deliberately, with thought and precision--and without the distraction of Poe. He wanted Rey to make a considered decision after weighing the facts. He wouldn’t nudge her into anything. But he’d made up his own mind.

Kylo gritted his teeth and raked a hand through his hair. He shouldn’t go to her right now. He should deal with Poe. But he couldn’t quite help himself. He had to be sure she was all right.

<>

Rey finally fell asleep on the couch after pacing the floor for hours. She called Rose, who told her Hux came home covered in blood but was fine, as was Kylo.

“They’re fighting as usual,” she said, voice laced with disgust. “Hux is outrageous. Ben hurts him. Rinse and repeat. I’m sick of both of them.”

“Did he turn Poe?” Rey asked softly.

Rose hesitated. “I think so. Hux snarled when I asked him. I’m furious with him at the moment. He said he did it to kill Ben, but now he believes Poe loves Ben too much to actually do it. I can’t believe Hux would go to such lengths after all these years. He should not be trying to kill Ben, who is your bonded mate.”

“It’s not the first time,” Rey said. “Hux has done this before as his enmity for Kylo ebbs and flows. Kylo is tired of it, too. He would prefer to end Hux completely. I tell you this as your friend. I think if Kylo has an opportunity to kill Hux, he will take it.”

Rose sighed. “I get that. Tell Ben…” She stopped. “Never mind. Hux deserves it. I just hope he never succeeds.”

“I hope Kylo never succeeds either, Rose. I would hate to think of you without your mate.”

Rose laughed shakily. “Selene’s bond is strong, but our bond of friendship might have to be stronger. I’ll do what I can to make Hux see reason.”

<>

When Rey woke, she saw Kylo. He stood in her living room, watching her sleep. She sat up and opened her arms. He was on her quickly. He carried her to her bedroom and touched her everywhere. She cried out in his arms. He meshed with her fully, allowing her to see inside him and feel him fully opened. Rey whispered his name as he pushed himself inside her.

“Ben,” he said softly. “I was Ben.” He pulled out and thrust in again.

Rey called him Ben and he raised her up to meet him, move for move. She wrapped arms and legs around him. She offered him her neck and he clouded her mind as he bit down. They merged with blood and body, mind and heart.

“I must go,” he said softly after they drifted for a while. “But we should talk.”

Rey touched Kylo’s face. “Will you turn me? You must do it soon.”

She saw his brief flash of fear. She knew she would need protection from Poe, if nothing else. “Yes,” he said. “If you wish it.”

Rey raised up on one elbow. “You know my thinking. I’m not afraid.”

“Then we shall, but I need to do something first.”

She gazed at his sad expression. “I understand. I can wait.”


	10. Rosewood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Kylo's horror, he must unmake the new vampire.

Kylo drove slowly to Poe’s house with a heavy heart. He planned to unmake his one-time friend. He felt for the rosewood dagger he had stashed in his jacket pocket and wished he didn’t have to do this thing.

He parked in the driveway and climbed over the door that still lay on the floor.

“Poe?” He called into the house and attempted a nudge. It was futile, as he knew it would be. He felt nothing, no presence in the house to suggest that Poe was nearby.

Kylo called to him again. “Come on out, Poe. I can help you with your transition.”

“No thank you, my dearest man. I don’t need you.” Poe’s voice echoed loudly through the living room.

“I believe you do,” Kylo said reasonably. “Please. Let’s talk like we used to.”

“Only if you bond with me. Otherwise, no thank you.”

Kylo looked toward the sound, using senses that mortals had no access to. He pinpointed the probable location of Poe’s voice. He quietly moved toward the small closet door tucked back into a corner of the living room.

He opened the door suddenly. Poe laughed loudly. “Not there. Not there.”

Silence. 

“Shit,” Kylo whispered to himself.

He hated vampire games.

<>

Rey heard someone come through the door. “Ben? Kylo?” she said.

“It’s me,” she heard him say.

“Thank goodness,” she said, walking out of the bedroom, wrapping up in a robe. “How did it…” She stopped. 

“Hello,” Poe said in his own voice. “Rey.”

“Poe?” Rey asked.

He laughed at her.

Rey opened her thoughts to scream Kylo’s name. She felt him understand his mistake.

Rey lifted her chin and tightened the belt on her robe. “Are you here to turn me or kill me?” Her voice didn’t quaver, even though she felt sick with fear.

“I want Kylo for himself,” Poe said. “You are in my way.”

Rey swayed on her feet as a strong smell of sharp, newly-cut wood hit her. The vision of a forest, near dawn, rose behind her eyes. A tall, dark-haired man knelt on the ground, weeping. A woman stood over him. Rey recognized her as Selene. “You must listen, Benjamin,” she said. “It’s hard to kill an Immortal, but it can be done. You must keep one of these nearby at all times but hide it well. It can kill you.” Selene handed Ben a long dagger with a silver hilt. It was made of rosewood, polished smooth and sharp. It smelled like something already in Rey’s nose.

In the distance, another man dressed in a hooded cloak raved and screamed. He ran up and tried to grab the dagger. Selene hissed and smacked him. “No, you may not kill yourself with it. It will not work by your own hand. Only on another.” His cloak fell back and Rey saw it was Hux.

Ben stood, red-eyed and sad. “We cannot kill one another, Hugh. We need to help each other.”

Hugh snatched the dagger. “Mine,” he said. “I will kill you one day.”

Selene handed the other dagger to Ben. “Yours. Keep it secret.”

Rey woke in an instant. Ben sent her courage and love--and she knew what she must do next.

Rey took a deep breath. “Kylo will be here any minute, Poe.” She casually took a step or two toward the kitchen. “Coffee? A drink? I know you don’t ingest human drinks anymore, but since you plan to off me, let’s have something first. I for one could use a snort.” Rey kept her voice casual. “You know, Kylo was planning to turn me anyway.” She wandered into the kitchen slowly. Poe had not struck yet but he could do without warning.

The rosewood oil was in the liquor cabinet. Rey opened the cabinet quickly.

Poe eyed her. “What? What?” he asked, wildly.

“I could make coffee for you,” Rey said, soothingly. She tried to reach Poe’s mind, gently probing for entrance to his thoughts but could gain no purchase.

Rey swallowed her fear, sought courage from Ben, and smiled at the new vampire in front of her. “Or a drink? Perhaps that would be better.” She opened the liquor cabinet and hesitated. “What can I get you, Poe? I feel like I already know you from our conversation.” She bit her lip and with an effort stilled her shaking hand.

Poe showed her his new sharp teeth in a mockery of a smile. “What did I used to like?”

“You drank whiskey when we met,” Rey said. “Remember?” 

Poe gazed at her, unblinking, and licked his lips.

Inside the cabinet, Rey touched the highball glasses she used for an occasional drink. She slid one glass close to the vial of oil and opened it with quick fingers. She dumped the contents into the short glass. Then she pulled the whiskey bottle and two glasses out of the cabinet onto the counter. She poured a couple of splashes over top of the oil in one and another splash in the other.

“Neat or rocks?” She set the bottle back inside the cabinet.

Poe looked thoroughly confused. “Neat, I think.”

“I thought it was rocks,” Rey purred. 

Without warning, she threw the rosewood oil drink at Poe’s head as hard as she could. He ducked and hissed at her, swatting the glass away with his hand. He was faster than a mortal. The glass shattered on the floor and the liquid splattered everywhere. It hit him on the leg but seemed to have no effect.

Poe stood, looking down at the shattered glass and the spreading liquid. He didn’t seem to register what happened.

“I’m hungry.” His gaze cast around the room and lit on Rey. “Food,” he said, looking at her.

Rey froze. “Uh oh,” she said, lightly.

She grabbed a handful of paper towels and started to walk around Poe to mop up the whiskey. Poe struck quickly and grabbed Rey from behind. She kicked him as hard as she could. He snarled into her hair and knocked her down. She fell hard on the floor, bruising her elbows and knees but managed to reach out a hand to push the paper towel into the spill.

Poe yanked her back as she swiped her arm to wipe up the spill and gather as much liquid into the towel as she could.

Poe showed his teeth with saliva dripping from them, his eyes turned a deep red.

“Don’t make me kill you,” Rey shouted at him.

He pulled her closer toward him. “I’ll kill you myself, you fucking bitch,” he said using Kylo’s voice. 

Rey spat on him, and he jumped at her with fangs out. She shoved the wet paper towel in his face. He screamed as the liquid hit him. Rey pressed the towels into his face as hard as she could. He ripped it away and threw it across the room.

It was too late.

The rosewood oil spread over Poe’s skin. He grabbed Rey’s arm and bit down hard, as Rey fought him. He fell backwards, lips covered with Rey’s blood.

Kylo burst through the door, dragging Hux with him, and Rose on his heels.

<>

Ben knelt beside Poe, careful to avoid the spill. “Fuck,” he whispered. He reached in his pocket for the rosewood dagger.

Rey’s breath hitched and Ben looked up to see great sorrow in her eyes. He knew she hadn’t wanted to kill Poe and he felt her sickness and horror mingled with his own. She was barely holding herself together. He soothed her gently, letting her know there had been no other choice. She held her wounded arm by her side.

Ben touched Poe’s face gently, though the oil stung his fingers. He closed Poe’s staring eyes.

Then, with a small sob, Ben stabbed Poe straight through the heart and watched him crumble into dust. He slowly stood and turned to his long-time companion.

“You,” he said through gritted teeth. He stalked Hugh. “You did this. You have done this through the ages, trying unsuccessfully to engineer my demise because you can’t kill me yourself.”

Ben was gratified to see Hux’s eyes widen. The smug smile he typically wore was gone.

“It stops here,” Ben ground out. He rushed Hux and wiped his oiled fingers on Hux’s face.

Hux sucked in a pained breath.

“You deserve more than this,” Ben said. “Much more. But I can’t kill you, just as you can’t kill me. Be warned, though.” Ben took Hux by the jaw. “If you do not stop your campaign to bring me down, my mate will kill you. She will see the destruction you bring to my doorstep and the mind games and the nasty acts of revenge and all that I have endured at your hands. And she will kill you, if you do not cease tormenting me.”

Rey stood wide-eyed in shock. Ben knew down in his bones that Rey would protect him if he could not protect himself. If Hux did indeed pull another stunt like this, he would feel her wrath. She would not hesitate to take him down--or die trying. Rose’s feelings would not be considered, if Rey’s mate was endangered.

Hux swallowed and stared at Rey. “Uh, well,” he said.

Rey moved to Ben’s side. “If you hurt him, Hux, I will kill you.” She flicked her eyes toward Rose. “I’m sorry, Rose, but it’s true.”

“You are sorry now.” Rose spoke low. “But you won’t be when you kill him.”

“No, she won’t,” Ben said. “She won’t think twice, I promise.”

Rose turned to Hux in a spitting rage. “End it. Now.” She yelled in a voice loud enough to peel the paint off the walls.

Hux stared at Rose. “Rosie…” he began.

“No,” she barked. “I have let this bullshit go on far too long. It eats at you and makes you sick, makes us sick together. No more.”

Rose snatched the dagger off the floor and held it up. “I’ll fucking kill you myself, Hux. How’s that?”

Hux lifted his hands. “Rose… you don’t know.”

“You better fucking promise to leave Ben alone.” She waved the dagger at him. “I’m not joking. I will help Rey do you in. I’ll get her to turn me and we’ll both hunt your red-headed ass down.”

Hux flicked his eyes toward Ben. “Benjamin.”

Ben shrugged.

Rose continued. “I’m sorry your life is such a shit sandwich. I thought you loved me enough to get over your asinine grudge. But apparently not.”

“I do,” Hux protested. “I really do. But...”

“Huh,” Rose said. She closed one eye and looked at the rosewood dagger. “I think this one is darker red than ours. Maybe it hurts more, too.”

Hux gulped. “Can you put that down, please?”

“Possibly, it depends,” Rose stated, still turning it over in her small hands. She stepped closer to her husband and tapped him on the chest with her free hand. His eyes never strayed from the weapon she held. “Look, so you got turned by a crazy vampire before Ben showed up to save you. That was a long time ago. You need to suck it up, buttercup, and move on.” She waved the dagger at Hux once more. “Am I making myself clear?”

“Yes,” Hux said, eyes riveted on his wife.

“Believe me, I know where our dagger is and I’m not afraid to give you a scratch or two if you fool with me. Understood?”

Hux frowned. “I’m stronger and faster than you, Rosie. You can’t catch me.”

Rose gave him a long look. He muttered something about mortal wives.

Rose handed the dagger to Rey. “If he gets out of line, let me know. I’m so done with his shit. I’m about ready to leave him.”

Hux drew a strangled breath. Three pairs of eyes turned to him. He looked at Rose. “Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t leave.”

Rose and he were dead still for a moment, something passing between them, something Ben recognized from his bond with Rey.

Hux loved Rose. She nodded once and the moment passed. 

As Rose and Hux prepared to leave, Hux looked Ben in the eye. “I still hate you, Benjamin, but I will leave you alone. I love Rose more than I hate you.”

“I never hated you, Hugh,” Ben replied sadly. “I saved your fool life once, but since then, I wish I hadn’t.”

“You took my life. You didn’t save it.”

Ben opened his mouth to reply.

“Enough,” Rose shouted at the top of her lungs. The gentlemen turned to stare at the small woman. “Enough,” she repeated. “Hux, you don’t hate Ben. You’re just jealous, though you have no reason to be. You’re a perfectly fine Knight, so, please, for the love of William the fucking Conquerer, quit competing with Ben.”

Hux turned bright red. Ben pretended not to notice.

Rey smothered a laugh. “She’s not named Rose for nothing, fellas.”

“Just be glad my last name isn’t wood,” Rose said.


	11. He Calls the Name of Her Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

Rey took a seat on her comfy couch. Ben plopped down (as much as a vampire plops) next to her.

“It’s time.” Rey took her lover’s hand. “I’m not willing to wait any longer. I want us to be fully bonded.”

Ben watched her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she said. “Do you have to kill me?”

“No,” he said. “There’s a different way.”

“Tell me how.” Rey snuggled up to him.

“We mix blood and my blood takes over yours and you turn. It’s a nicer way of turning someone.”

Rey looked into Ben’s serious face. “Will it work?”

“Not sure,” he said. “I’ve never done it before. It works in theory. So I’ve heard.”

“Selene didn’t do that to you, did she?

“No, she killed me,” Ben said.

“But she was your lover.”

“Yes,” he said. “However, I was not in love with her.”

“She tried to bond with you and make you hers.”

He pursed his lips. “No, not at all. I haven’t any idea why she wanted to turn me, but I was quite excited by the possibility of immortality and all its gifts. Selene disappeared and neither Hugh nor I saw her again. She didn’t want either of us.”

“And what about me?” Rey had to know. “What are you thinking now about turning me?”

“With you, it’s very different. I love you,” he said.

Rey sucked in a breath. “I love you, my vampire. But I have to confess to being nervous.”

Ben touched her face with gentle fingers and kissed her lips. “Nothing to it. I will be here with you.”

Rey gazed at her handsome man. He wanted her and he loved her.

“Do it,” she said.

Ben’s eyes grew bright and golden. She felt him open himself to her and they slowly merged emotions. He soothed her fears. Then he bit his tongue and showed her his blood welling from the wound.

“Kiss me,” he said so softly. “Invite me in, my dearest love.”

“Make me immortal,” Rey whispered.

She touched her lips to his and opened her mouth to allow him entrance. His salty sweet tongue slipped in her mouth.

_Suck._

She suckled his tongue and tasted the coppery warmth.

He bit her sharply and she moaned at the bright pain. He pressed his tongue fully against hers and she slanted her head to pull him closer in. Their tongues met and withdrew, only to touch and slide together again, first in his mouth, then in hers.

Ben pulled away to bite the side of Rey’s neck. He drank and then bit his own wrist. He put the small wound to her lips. She licked it and found it tasted good, like some treat she’d had as a child and couldn’t get enough of.

Ben repeated the process at the juncture of Rey’s thigh, stopping to lick her between her legs while she called his name. She came hard with his tongue on her clit.

He unzipped his pants and invited Rey to bite his groin. As she lay licking his hot blood with her head near his hard dick, he urged her to suck him into her mouth. His hips moved as she licked his length, and he clawed at her hair.

Rey crawled up Ben’s body after he stripped himself of his clothes. He was ready for her to ride him. He put his thumb on her clit while she moved on his dick. They merged minds and found their rhythm together as the vampire blood worked its way through Rey. She felt Ben’s passion, his overwhelming need for her, his undying love that he himself couldn’t express deeply enough. She made sure, damn sure, he felt her love. And, as her orgasm built, Rey felt all time and space slip. When she came with her lover’s thumb and dick inside her, she saw the past, present and future spread out before her eyes. She drifted, dreamed, and changed.

When Ben thrust in her one last time and called the name of her soul, Rey wept in his arms. He was hers. She was his.

And she was a vampire.


End file.
